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Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers – is this a full-fledged rivalry?
By Erik Mauro
With the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs in the midst of another series, we ask: is this one of the team’s biggest rivalries after recent years?
The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers have been the class of the National League for the past four seasons, and it’s not particularly close. Since 2015, the Cubs are 334-226, that’s a .596 winning percentage entering Monday’s opener.
Since 2015, the Dodgers are 328-234, which is a .584 winning percentage. Entering this series, the Dodgers were six games behind the Cubs since 2015. Of course, these teams met in the NLCS the last two years, with each side winning one matchup.
The next closest team to the Cubs and Dodgers? The Nationals, with 316 wins since 2015. Think about that for a second. Cubs, Dodgers, and then everybody else. The third place team in the National League since 2015 is 12 games back of the second place team. That is the definition of dominance.
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The Cubs will always have the historic rivalry with the Cardinals. But, really, the Brewers have a better case for being their main rival right now. The aging Redbirds are one bad year away from a total rebuild. It’s just a matter of whether they actually want to do it or not.
Every time these two teams battle, it feels like a playoff atmosphere. These series decide the de facto “team to beat” in the National League. The intensity is kicked up a notch for both the players and fans. Ever since both of these teams have been good at the same time, it always seems like these series are can’t miss, and rarely do they disappoint.
The Dodgers have won five consecutive NL West titles, and made consecutive NLCS trips, with one pennant. This season, the Dodgers are currently 1 1/2 games back of the Diamondbacks. The Cubs are trying to win their third straight NL Central, and currently sit 2 1/2 games behind the Brewers.
Next: Russell making Machado irrelevant?
During the Cubs’ run, they have played in three consecutive NLCS’, won one pennant, and won a World Series back in 2016. If these two teams keep playing at a high level, they could be on a collision course to meet in the playoffs yet again.