Freeway Series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term Freeway Series refers to a series of baseball games played between Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League and the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League. The series takes its name from the massive freeway system in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, the home of both teams; one could travel from one team's stadium to the other simply by traveling along Interstate 5. The term is akin to Subway Series which refers to meetings between New York City baseball teams.
The first exhibition game between the two clubs (won by the Angels) was played in 1962 in Palm Springs, at the time the spring training home of the Angels. The first regular-season series was played at Dodger Stadium April 6-7, 1963. The Angels won both of the two games played. After the Angels added Los Angeles to their official name in 2005, the rivalry took on renewed interest, as the series took on a more inter-city atmosphere in Los Angeles.
Throughout the 2005 season, Dodger Stadium listed the Angels as ANA on its out-of-town scoreboard and team schedules, as it was prior to Angels' name change, whereas every other Major League team listed the Angels as "LAA". However, the Dodgers now post "LAA" on both their scoreboard and schedules. Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully refers to the team as just the Angels when mentioning them on the air.
Regular- and post-season games between the two teams take place at either Angel Stadium or Dodger Stadium. Under current rules, the designated hitter rule is in effect when the Angels are the home team. The two stadiums are located approximately 30 miles apart. [1]
At one point, both teams were owned by major media conglomerates: the Angels had been owned by the Walt Disney Company, and the Dodgers were owned by News Corporation (both companies each own 1 of the MLB broadcast partners). Both teams have been sold in recent years.
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[edit] Common players
[edit] Brothers
An interesting note between these two teams are the different sets of brothers who have currently played for either one of both of these franchises. They include:
Vladimir and Wilton Guerrero
Orlando and Jolbert Cabrera
Maicer and Cesar Izturis*
- *Maicer and Cesar Izturis were half-brothers. They played against each other during the 2006 season.
Erick and Willy Aybar*
- *Erick and Willy Aybar played against each other during the 2006 season.
Jered and Jeff Weaver*
- *Jered and Jeff Weaver both played for the Angels during the 2006 season. Jeff Weaver played for the Dodgers during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
[edit] Other notable players
Mike Scioscia: 1980-1992, catcher for the Dodgers
Mike Scioscia: 1999-present, manager for the Angels
Ron Roenicke: 1977-1983, outfielder for the Dodgers
Ron Roenicke: 2000-present, bench coach for the Angels
Mickey Hatcher: 1979-1980, 1987-1990, first baseman, third baseman, and outfielder for the Dodgers
Mickey Hatcher: 2002-present, hitting coach for the Angels
Alfredo Griffin: 1988-1991, shortstop for the Dodgers
Alfredo Griffin: present, first base coach for the Angels
Dino Ebel: 1988-1994, player for the Dodgers
Dino Ebel: 2005-present, third base coach for the Angels
[edit] The series
[edit] Pre-season series
2003: (March 28-29)
Game 1: Dodgers win, 5-0
Game 2: Dodgers win, 6-0
2004: (April 2-4)
Game 1: Angels win, 6-1
Game 2: Angels win, 10-4
Game 3: Angels win, 13-5
2005: (April 1-3)
Game 1: Angels win, 8-3
Game 2: Angels win, 6-2
Game 3: Angels win, 6-0
2006: (March 31-April 2)
Game 1: Tie, 6-6
Game 2: Tie, 0-0
Game 3: Angels win, 10-2
2007: (March 29-March 31)
Game 1: Angels win, 6-1
Game 2: Dodgers win, 13-4
Game 3: Angels win, 4-2
2008: (March 22-March 27)
Game 1: Angels win, 4-2
Game 2: Tie, 2-2
2003-2008 Standings: Angels 10, Dodgers 3 (3 ties)
[edit] Season series
1997: Dodgers win, 4-0
1998: Angels win, 3-1
1999: Dodgers win, 4-2
2000: Angels win, 4-2
2001: Angels win, 4-2
2002: Tie, 3-3
2003: Angels win, 4-2
2004: Tie, 3-3
2005: Angels win, 5-1
2006: Dodgers win, 4-2
2007: Angels win, 5-1
All-Time: Angels 35, Dodgers 27
[edit] Postseason series
As of 2006, the Angels and the Dodgers have never met in the postseason. To meet in the postseason would require that they both advanced to the World Series in the same year. To date, the only time both teams have made the playoffs in the same year was in 2004, but both lost in the Division Series, to the teams which did meet in the Series: the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.
[edit] Bibliography
- DiGiovanna, Mike (2007). "Freeway Series is Turning into a Romp." Los Angeles Times. June 18.
- Newhan, Ron. "Freeway Series Pits Dodgers Against Bad Angels." Los Angeles Times. March 31.
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