It may seem early to start thinking about the playoffs when we’re not even halfway into the season. But the San Francisco Giants’ recent surge gives us every reason to think that they will make it. So it begs the question: will there be a rematch between the Giants and Dodgers in the postseason?
One thing we know. If both teams are in it, they will have to play each other at some point if both survive the other competition. The NL West is a tight place to be. It’s likely that the Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Arizona Diamondbacks will all be in the postseason. And it won’t be settled with a division winner. The two Wild Card teams in the West will not go down in the postseason without a fight.
Looking Back to 2021
It is hard to give consideration to these things without cringing. 2021 most definitely should have been the year that the Giants went all the way. They were neck and neck with the Dodgers all the way through the season. Both teams were on a roll, raking in one series victory after another. The division race came down to the final day. And the Giants won it.
The Dodgers, who hardly expected to be a Wild Card team that year, beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 with Chris Taylor hitting a walk-off home run in the ninth. And now, the Giants vs. Dodgers war had come to its climax, and it was time for the last battle.
Each team won two games. It seemed as though all eyes were on them for Game 5. Andy Nesbitt said that the loser of the game would really hate themselves.
It went down to the final inning. Cody Bellinger singled in a run to put the Dodgers ahead against Camilo Doval, who never should have remained in the game after it was evident that he was struggling with command. The Giants went down quietly in the bottom half. A wrong call by first base umpire Gabe Morales on Wilmer Flores’ checked swing hastened the end. But honestly, the damage was already done.
A Revival of the 2021 Excitement
While the memory of this is tough, it is better to let it go than to dwell on it. 2023 is a new year, and the Giants go into contention with a clean slate. Neither the Giants nor the Dodgers is set to win the amount of games that they did in 2021. But this will be a head-to-head fight for a championship nonetheless.
We’ve been putting a lot of emphasis on the Dodgers that could go to the first-place Diamondbacks. While it is no small thing that the Dbacks have worked their way up to first, it is also likely that the Dodgers and Giants will eventually crowd them out. Still, we must remember that the most unexpected things often happen in baseball.
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A Potential Rematch
The focus here, though, is on a potential rematch between the Giants and the Dodgers. What would it look like? The high likelihood of such an event will (and should) scare Giants fans. But what do you want me to tell you? The battle has to be fought sometime if the Giants want to win another World Series.
At this point (and things could change), it would probably be ideal for the Giants if they could face the Dodgers in the Wild Card Series. Not that they will be the final seed in the mix of division winners. We can hope for more than that. But if they are, then they would have to play that series. If they do, that might be the best time for them to play the Dodgers. Why? Well, the Giants pitching is what everyone’s talking about. It still needs improvement. In a short series, they would have a better chance of maximizing the best pitching they’ve got, both in the rotation and the bullpen.
However and whenever it happens, a rematch between the Giants and Dodgers would be intense. As nerve-wracking as it might be, let’s hope it happens this season.
Photo Credit: © D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned:
Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger, Camilo Doval, Wilmer Flores
