Freeway Series
The Freeway Series is a Major League Baseball (MLB) interleague baseball rivalry between the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers . The Angels are members of the American League (AL) West Division, and the Dodgers are members of the National League (NL) West Division. The series takes its name from the massive highway system in the greater Los Angeles area. The term is similar to the Subway Series , which refers to encounters between New York baseball teams. The term "Freeway Series" also inspired the official name of the region's NHL rivalry between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks : the Freeway Face-Off.
background
Southern California's rise to become a major region of the United States resulted in significant economic rivalry between neighboring Los Angeles and Orange counties.
For many people living outside of Southern California, the entire area is often referred to simply as "LA," which associates Los Angeles and Orange Counties with the same stereotypes and prejudices. However, the two counties differ greatly in political ideology, socio-economic status and demographics. Los Angeles County is more liberal and represented by a more ethnically diverse population, while Orange County was known as one of the most conservative areas in the state. This separation led to the Los Angeles-Orange County's border being colloquially known as the "Orange Curtain". This can be a bit of a misnomer, however, as the older, more urban cities of northern and central Orange Counties ( Anaheim , Santa Ana , Garden Grove , Buena Park , etc.) are much more in line with the cities of Los Angeles County than the southern cities of Orange County . These older Orange County's cities are more diverse and less homogeneous than the cities in the south, which is reflected in income levels and demographics.
history
The first game between the two teams was played in Palm Springs in 1962 and was won by the Angels. The first pre-season series was held at Dodger Stadium , which was the home stadium for both teams between 1962 and 1965. The Angels won both games. After the Angels added Los Angeles to their official name in 2005, the rivalry returned to interest as the series took on a more inner-city feel.
Throughout the 2005 season, Dodger Stadium listed the Angels as "ANA" on the scoreboard and on team schedules as it was prior to the Angels' name change. The Dodgers tickets still refer to the Angels as the "Anaheim Angels".
The regular games and post-season games between the two teams take place at either Angel Stadium of Anaheim or Dodger Stadium . The two stadiums are about 50 km apart.
There was a moment of peace in the rivalry during the 2002 World Series as the Angels played against the San Francisco Giants , who are also great rivals to the Dodgers.
In 2014, history was made when two MVPs from the same urban area were selected, with Angels outfielder Mike Trout winning the American League MVP and Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw winning the National League MVP for the year. That happened again in 2019, with Trout and Dodgers' Cody Bellinger winning the award again.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Associated Press: Dodgers 'Cody Bellinger, Angels' Mike Trout win Most Valuable Player honors . In: The Guardian . November 15, 2019, ISSN 0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed February 29, 2020]).