Featured Image: Michael Busch of the Chicago Cubs hits a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the 2025 NLDS. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
The 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season begins in a little over a week. There are many historic rivalries in baseball, as whenever your league exists for over a century, some teams are going to start to hate each other.
However some of these historic rivalries do not make the cut, as there are some that are more relevant to today’s game.
Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Obviously, the Cubs most hated and bitter rivalry in the league is the I-55 series with the St. Louis Cardinals. However, the Cardinals look far from contenders this years, while the Cubs look like the Central favorites.
The National League Division Series last year with the Brewers, in which the Cubs lost in five games, was bitter and intense. The Brewers took the first two games of the series at home in American Family Field. The series then went down south to Wrigley Field, in which the Cubs tilted the scales and tied the series. The series then went back to Family Field, ending the Cubs title hopes.
That was a loss the Cubs won’t forget for a long time. Also, the regular season meetings last year between the two ball clubs were heated, as the division was on the line. For a long time last season, the Brewers looked like the best team in baseball, forcing the Cubs to play their hearts out in every meet.
With the NL Central title being on the line this year, and the Cubs strengthening of their club, the meetings will be intense once more. They play each other for the first time on May 18, at Wrigley Field.
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays
In a similar story to the Cubs, the Yankees most bitter rivalry is with the Boston Red Sox. While the Yankees and Sox are both good teams this year, the Blue Jays are more of a threat than the Sox after their recent run to the World Series.
In the ALDS, the Yankees were embarrassed in their four game loss to the Jays. The game two loss was an unforgettable seven-run loss, with the Blue Jays routing the Yanks 13-7.
Aaron Judge and the Yankees need to get it together if they want to win the AL East this year. Furthering the rivalry is Jays first baseman, Vladmir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero displays a prominent animosity against the Yankees. After their victory against the Yankees, Guerrero exclaimed “DAAAA Yankees lose!”
The first series between the two rival ball clubs is May 18th at Yankee Stadium.
Los Angles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres
The Padres finished second in the NL West last season, while the Dodgers stole the division and won the World Series in cinematic fashion. While the two ball clubs did not meet last year in the playoffs, this is a passionate rivalry that we can expect some big games from.
The Dodgers are looking to be the first team to three-peat in MLB since the 1998-2000 Yankees. Winning the division and getting a bye in the first round will grant them the easiest trip possible.
The Dodgers and Padres meet for the first time on May 18, at Petco Park.
