World Series Diary: Rooting for the Dodgers as an SF Giants Fan

Lifelong SF Giants fan Marc Delucchi has a confession to make: he’s been rooting for the Dodgers all World Series. He diaries his experience during their Game 5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

I know SF Giants fans’ wrath will fall on me for this. When you grow up a Giants fan, the only way to salvage a season without a Giants championship is to root against the Dodgers. But I’m not doing that this year.

Yes, fellow Giants fans, I am rooting for the Dodgers to win the World Series.

I understand if you’re pulling for their opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s impossible to blame anyway who cheers for the Orange-and-Black for refusing to support their heated rival. However, for me, I don’t really have many antagonistic sentiments towards the Dodgers. The fact is, in my lifetime, the Dodgers and Giants have rarely been antagonists.

There haven’t been any tight divisional races between either squad, and they’ve still never faced off in the postseason. The Steve Finley walk-off grand slam in 2004 still stings, but while the Dodgers have dominated the NL West in the regular season, the Giants have those three recent championships.

In 2010, it wasn’t the Dodgers but the Padres that were the Giants biggest competition for the division. In 2014 and 2016, the Dodgers won the division easily, and the Giants were happy to settle for a wild-card spot and a world championship.

Sure, there have been plenty of contentious back and forths, but it’s not like Madison Bumgarner or Hunter Strickland were on the right side of things. In fact, the Giants were often the ones policing celebrations and instituting “old-school” limitations. Honestly, “Go get it out of the ocean” remains one of the best on-field baseball lines I’ve heard.

Besides, I…

I like Clayton Kershaw. He’s always seemed like a solid guy, hasn’t thrown at anyone, and was just so incredibly good in his prime. Perhaps it was growing up in the era of LeBron James, where he was dogged for years because of bad luck and roster management, that made me come to root for good players to get championships when they aren’t obviously bad people.

I’m rooting for the Dodgers, but more importantly, I’m rooting for Kershaw’s redemption. He had a solid start in Game 1 and I’m hoping he can build off it tonight.