Los Angeles Dodgers: The biggest enemies of the 1980s

4. New York Yankees

For all their history together the Dodgers-Yankees rivalry was very short lived in the 1980’s. From 1941 to 1978 the teams would meet 10 times in the World Series by the time they met in 1981 both sides were veteran laden teams, with the Dodgers seeking revenge for back to back loses in 1977 and 1978.

The Dodgers found themselves in a 0-2 hole heading back to Dodger Stadium for game 3. Rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela stopped the bleeding winning a complete game 5-4 win. The Dodgers won games 4 and 5 going back to New York needing one win for the title.

In a 9-2 route, the Dodger clinched the World Series in Game 6, giving manager Tommy Lasorda his first World Series win and the team their revenge for the previous losses. The win also signaled the beginning of the end for many of the players on the team as veterans of the vaunted infield Davey Lopes, Steve Garvey, and Ron Cey would all be gone by 1983.

The 1981 World Series is still the last time the Dodgers and Yankees have played each other in the postseason. Hopefully, with young sensations Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge, we can see this rivalry renewed in the present day.