The Phantom Call

When Major League Baseball announced Rivalry Weekend for May 16–18, 2025, fans braced for a slugfest of epic proportions: Yankees vs. Red Sox, Dodgers vs. Giants, Cardinals vs. Cubs—the kind of matchups that make grown adults scream at their TVs and ticket prices rival a month’s rent. Instead, MLB served up a lukewarm platter of secondary and tertiary “rivalries,” like Mariners vs. Padres (yes, the Eddie Vedder Cup) and Rockies vs. Diamondbacks (because sharing a spring training field is apparently enough). By slapping the “Rivalry Weekend” label on this geographic grab bag, MLB not only fumbled a chance to showcase its premier rivalries but also insulted the intelligence of fans who know a real feud when they see one. Here’s why this was a swing and a miss—and how MLB could’ve played the same weekend smarter without diluting the Rivalry Weekend brand.

What Makes a Premier Rivalry, Anyway?

Premier rivalries are the beating heart of baseball, the games that make your pulse race even if your team’s 20 games out of first. They’re built on:

• Century-Long Bad Blood:Yankees vs. Red Sox? That’s 2,300+ games since my nvnvv my my my BF n my my n my my b my n my my BF my BF my BF and my my my my my BF my BF v my my my my v my v be vb my vv1901, from Babe Ruth’s betrayal to Aaron Boone’s 2003 walk-off. Dodgers vs. Giants? A 1,284–1,279 Giants edge through 2024, dating back to when New Yorkers threw punches over trolley fares.
• Playoff Heartbreak:Cardinals vs. Cubs is I-55 warfare, with St. Louis’s 11 rings taunting Chicago’s 108-year drought until 2016. The Astros vs. Yankees, fueled by the 2017 sign-stealing scandal, is a newer classic, with Houston’s ALCS wins still stinging in the Bronx.
• Fanatic Fervor:These are the games that split families, cities, and bar tabs. Dodgers–Giants is NorCal vs. SoCal, a cultural cage match where fans show up early just to boo louder.

Rivalry Weekend: A Geographic Snoozefest

MLB’s Rivalry Weekend leans hard into interleague geography, with 11 of 15 series pitting cross-league “prime” rivals against each other for six games a year. The other four are intraleague, but the choices are baffling. Let’s dissect this lineup of head-scratchers:

• Mets at Yankees (Subway Series):Okay, fine. This one’s legit, especially with Juan Soto’s $765 million Mets deal rubbing salt in Yankee wounds. But it’s the lone diamond in a pile of cubic zirconia.
• White Sox at Cubs (Crosstown Classic):Decent, but the Sox’s recent faceplants (six Cubs wins in seven games since 2023) make it feel like a sparring match with a punching bag.
• Cardinals at Royals (I-70 Series):An interleague yawn. The Royals’ 1985 World Series win is ancient history, and their 2024 series W was their first since 2016. Call it a rivalry when it stops feeling like a polite Midwestern potluck.
• Astros at Rangers (Lone Star Series):Solid, with the Rangers’ 2023 ALCS upset adding spice. But it’s a young feud, not a cornerstone like Cubs–Cardinals
• Rockies at Diamondbacks (Rocky Mountain… Rivalry?):MLB, are you serious? This is a “rivalry” because they’re both in the NL West and… share a Cactus League address? Spare us.
• Mariners at Padres (Vedder Cup):Oh, please. This is so forced it needed a fake trophy named after Eddie Vedder to justify its existence. It’s not a rivalry; it’s a marketing intern’s fever dream.
• Red Sox at Braves (Historical… Something):Pairing Boston with Atlanta because the Braves were once Boston’s team (pre-1952) is like calling your ex from 70 years ago for a date. Red Sox Nation, still seething over the Yankees, deserves better.

The rest–Angels-Dodgers, Nationals-Orioles, Phillies-Pirates–are geographic shrugs, lacking the postseason juice or fan vitriol of true rivalries. Phillies-Pirates hasn’t mattered since disco was king.

Why Dodge the Heavyweights?

Calling this Rivalry Weekend while snubbing Yankees–Red Sox, Dodgers–Giants, and Cardinals–Cubs is like hosting a barbecue and serving tofu. These are the games that sell out in minutes, crash ESPN’s servers, and inspire viral meltdowns on X. Yet MLB, in its infinite wisdom, prioritized interleague logistics over actual passion. Barstool’s Hank Lockwood nailed it: “This is blatantly wrong. It’s like college football saying Michigan–Michigan State is the big one, not Michigan–Ohio State.” The Yankees–Red Sox omission is particularly unforgivable—a rivalry so iconic it’s practically a UNESCO heritage site. Dodgers–Giants, with its dead-even history and NL West dogfights, got the same cold shoulder. MLB’s excuse? A balanced schedule that demands interleague “prime” matchups. Newsflash: Fans don’t care about your spreadsheet. They want blood, sweat, and bragging rights.

Market It Differently, Save the Big Guns

Here’s the kicker: MLB could’ve played this exact same May 16–18 weekend without butchering the Rivalry Weekend brand. Call it “City Showdowns” or “Metro Madness” and lean into the interleague, geography-first vibe. Mets–Yankees and Cubs–White Sox fit the urban theme, while Mariners–Padres could be spun as a quirky West Coast clash (just lose the Vedder Cup, please). This frees up “Rivalry Weekend” for a later date—say, late August, when playoff races heat up—where MLB schedules the real deal: Yankees–Red Sox, Dodgers–Giants, Cardinals–Cubs, Astros–Yankees, you name it. Imagine a weekend where every series is a premier rivalry, with ESPN and Fox tripping over themselves to air the drama. MLB could’ve had its interleague cake and eaten the classic-rivalry pie, too. Instead, they tried to pass off a clearance-rack knockoff as a designer label.

Secondary Rivalries: Not the Main Event

Some Rivalry Weekend matchups aren’t terrible. Astros–Rangers has teeth, and Blue Jays–Tigers taps into Ontario’s split loyalties. But these are secondary or tertiary at best—side dishes, not the main course. Dodgers–Padres is heating up (thanks, 2022 and 2024 NLDS), but it’s no Dodgers–Giants. Twins–Brewers has history (Twins lead 255–242), but interleague status kills the stakes. When your “rivalry” highlight is a forced trophy or a spring training lease, you’re not fooling anyone.

Fixing This Fiasco

MLB’s not clueless—they know rivalries sell. So why not act like it? For 2026, try this:

• Book the Big Ones: Yankees–Red Sox, Dodgers–Giants, Cardinals–Cubs. Non-negotiable.
• Mix Old and New: Add Dodgers–Padres or Astros–Yankees, but don’t let them steal the spotlight.
• Ask Fans: Use KnowRivalry.com’s 30,000+ fan surveys to pick matchups that actually matter.
• Sell the Story: Hype each rivalry’s history on X, in stadiums, everywhere. Make Mariners–Padres feel epic, not embarrassing.

Stop Phoning It In

Rivalry Weekend could’ve been MLB’s Super Bowl, a three-day brawl of baseball’s fiercest feuds. Instead, it’s a half-baked geography quiz that insults fans by pretending Rockies–Diamondbacks is appointment viewing. By dodging premier rivalries and misusing the “Rivalry” label, MLB’s turned a home run into a bunt. They had a chance to market this weekend as a fun, city-centric sideshow and save the real Rivalry Weekend for the classics. Next time, MLB, respect the game—and the fans who live for it. Drop the Vedder Cup and give us Yankees–Red Sox. We’re begging you.