Can White Sox vs Twins get to a Padres vs Dodgers level rivalry?
The Chicago White Sox have a few really good rivals. The Chicago Cubs and their division rivals stick out above anything else they have. They seem to get into confrontations with the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals more than anybody else but neither of them is looked at as a nationally recognized rivalry. The White Sox and the Cubs have that but they aren’t in the same league. The results of their baseball games (besides the ones against each other) don’t affect each other in the slightest.
The Chicago White Sox would love to put on a show as we saw in southern California this weekend.
Over this past weekend, we saw the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres play a three-game series in San Diego. The two are both elite baseball teams and they are both in the same division. The Dodgers took the series 2-1 but it legit felt as much like a playoff game as any regular-season game could and it is only Apri. The fans went nuts over how awesome this series was.
Is it possible that the Chicago White Sox can develop a rivalry with any of their division rivals the way things have developed down in southern California? The answer is absolutely but they need another division rival to get to their level and play intense games. The White Sox also needs to keep playing like an elite team in order for it to work.
Right now, the Royals and Indians are hot to start the season but it is going to be the White Sox and Twins by the end of the year. Those are the two most talented teams in the AL Central and the two most likely to become strong rivals. Can it get to the level of Dodgers vs Pirates? The answer remains to be seen.
Like that big National League rivalry, both teams need to be World Series good. We went into the year thinking that is possible. With 19 games against them, it is going to be very intense. The White Sox are a better team but they have struggled with the Twins for a long time. This is the perfect year for the Chicago White Sox to take control. That could lead to them becoming as big of rivals as the Dodgers and Padres.
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If the games are very close this year and both teams are in the race, you might see ESPN amongst others start to notice and bring it to the center stage. The White Sox could really use something like that to fire themselves up over the run that they are about to go on. Hopefully, each team is able to make things very interesting in 2021 and beyond.