It is a weird feeling walking into Dodger Stadium when the Chicago Cubs are in town. You’ve got the palm trees and the 80-degree sunset, but then you see that specific shade of royal blue—not the Dodger blue, but the North Side blue—dotting the pavilions. It’s one of the few matchups in Major League Baseball that feels like a national event every single time they play.
Why? Because these are the two pillars of the National League.
The Dodgers and Cubs represent two completely different ways of building a baseball soul. You have the Dodgers, a relentless machine of player development and financial might that hasn't missed the postseason since forever. Then you have the Cubs, a team that carries the weight of history and a fanbase that travels better than almost any other group in professional sports. When they meet, it isn't just a game. It is a clash of identities.
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The Shohei Ohtani Factor and the New Reality
Let's be real. The conversation around any Dodgers game changed the second Shohei Ohtani put on the jersey. Honestly, it shifted the entire gravity of the sport toward Chavez Ravine. When the Cubs pitch to Ohtani, it’s not just a strategic decision; it’s a moment that trends on social media within thirty seconds.
People forget that the Cubs were actually in the mix for Ohtani back in his original posting. They’ve always had the market size to compete with Los Angeles, but the Dodgers operate on a different plane of existence lately.
The gap between these two teams usually comes down to consistency. While the Dodgers have turned winning 100 games into a routine chore, the Cubs have been riding the "Build, Peak, Tear Down" cycle. You saw it after 2016. That legendary core of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Báez eventually dissolved, leaving fans in a bit of a wilderness before the current era under Craig Counsell began to take shape.
Counsell’s move from Milwaukee to Chicago was the ultimate "big market" flex. It was the Cubs signaling that they were tired of being the underdog. They wanted the Dodgers' stability.
Wrigley Field vs. Dodger Stadium: The Atmosphere Tax
If you haven't sat in the bleachers at Wrigley or felt the concrete shake at Dodger Stadium during a playoff game, it’s hard to describe the difference.
Wrigley is intimate. It’s ivy and bricks and the smell of old beer and optimism. Dodger Stadium is a mid-century modern masterpiece. It’s massive. It feels like a cathedral of Hollywood glamour where the stars on the field are just as famous as the ones in the front row.
Interestingly, the Dodgers and Cubs share a strange historical bond through legends like Leo Durocher. "The Lip" managed both franchises, bringing that abrasive, winning-at-all-costs attitude to both coasts. That’s the kind of DNA that connects these teams. They expect to win. When the Cubs are bad, the city of Chicago is miserable. When the Dodgers lose, Los Angeles just moves on to the Lakers, but the sting remains for the die-hards.
The Pitching Philosophy Divide
The way these two teams handle a rotation tells you everything you need to know about modern baseball.
The Dodgers are the kings of the "Invention Lab." They take guys like Tyler Glasnow or reclamation projects and turn them into strikeout gods. They rely on high velocity and "stuff+" metrics that would make a NASA engineer dizzy.
Chicago has historically leaned more toward the "crafty" side, though that’s changing. Look at Shota Imanaga. His arrival in Chicago was a stroke of genius. He doesn't throw 100 mph, but his "rising" fastball and his personality have made him a cult hero at Wrigley. Comparing Imanaga’s approach to the raw power of someone like Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a masterclass in the different ways you can skin a cat in the NL.
- Dodgers: Power, data-driven matchups, infinite bullpen depth.
- Cubs: Tactical, high-IQ baserunning, opportunistic hitting.
It's a chess match.
That 2016 NLCS: The Night Everything Changed
We have to talk about 2016. If you’re a Cubs fan, that series against the Dodgers was the moment the "Curse" actually felt like it was dying.
Going up against Clayton Kershaw in a clinching Game 6? That’s supposed to be a nightmare scenario. But Kyle Hendricks—the "Professor"—put on a clinic. I remember watching that game and thinking that the Dodgers looked mortal for the first time in years. The Cubs winning that pennant on their way to the World Series title fundamentally shifted the power balance of the National League.
For a few years there, the Cubs were the "it" team. But the Dodgers didn't go away. They just got better. They watched the Cubs celebrate and then went out and traded for Mookie Betts. That’s the difference. The Dodgers don't rebuild; they reload.
Misconceptions About the "Big Market" Label
People lump these two together as "Evil Empires," but that's not quite fair to the Cubs.
The Dodgers spend money, yes, but their real secret is their farm system. They find guys in the 5th round who turn into All-Stars. The Cubs, under Jed Hoyer, have been trying to replicate that "sustained success" model. It’s harder than it looks. You can't just buy a winning culture. You have to draft it.
Fans often think the Cubs are just as wealthy as the Dodgers. On paper? Sure. In practice? The Ricketts family has been much more conservative with the luxury tax than the Guggenheim group in LA. This creates a fascinating dynamic where the Cubs are often the "scrappy" big-market team, if that's even a thing.
What to Watch for in Future Matchups
When these two teams meet in 2026 and beyond, the focus is going to be on the youth.
The Dodgers have guys like James Outman and a rotating door of young arms. The Cubs are betting the house on their pipeline of outfielders and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s glove.
- The Japanese Connection: With Ohtani and Yamamoto in LA, and Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki in Chicago, these games are now global events. The broadcast times are even being adjusted to cater to international audiences.
- The Managerial Chess: Craig Counsell vs. Dave Roberts. Roberts is often criticized despite his winning percentage, while Counsell is viewed as a tactical wizard. Seeing them burn through their bullpens in a 3-2 game in July is peak baseball.
- The Season Series: Usually, the Dodgers and Cubs split their games pretty evenly. It’s rarely a blowout season series, which makes the head-to-head tiebreakers crucial for postseason seeding.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Bettors
If you’re following this rivalry, stop looking at the jersey names and start looking at the travel schedules.
Because the Dodgers often play late-night games on the West Coast, their first game in a series at Wrigley Field—especially a day game after a cross-country flight—is a notorious "trap" game. The "Wrigley Wind" is also a legitimate factor that Vegas often misprices.
If you're heading to a game, do yourself a favor:
- At Dodger Stadium: Arrive two hours early. The traffic isn't a myth; it’s a lifestyle. Also, get the al pastor tacos over the standard Dodger Dog. Trust me.
- At Wrigley: Sit in the 400 level if you want to actually see the plays develop, or the bleachers if you want to be part of the show.
The Dodgers and Cubs will likely be the gatekeepers of the National League for the next decade. Whether it's a random Tuesday in May or a high-stakes October night, the energy remains unmatched. Keep an eye on the injury reports for the Dodgers' pitching staff—that’s their only true Achilles' heel. For the Cubs, it's all about whether their bats can stay hot enough to support their starters.
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Watch the pitching matchups three days out. Usually, the Dodgers will try to align their aces for these series just to make a statement. It’s a rivalry built on respect, but make no mistake, they both want to be the undisputed king of the NL.