Editing Subway Series (section)

==19th century Subway Series==
{{main|1889 World Series}}
{{see also|Dodgers–Giants rivalry}}
Although organized games between all-stars from New York teams against all-stars from Brooklyn teams date back to the 1850s, the first actual New York–Brooklyn "[[World Series|World Championship Series]]" occurred in 1889, a full nine years before Brooklyn was incorporated into the City of New York by the Greater New York Act of 1898. At the time, the series would not have been called a ''Subway Series'', since [[Early history of the IRT subway|New York's subway did not open until 1904]], but it was the first recorded series involving the teams who would later earn the phrase.<ref name=":0" />

The [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] squared off against (and defeated) the [[Brooklyn Bridegrooms]], also called the "[[Trolley dodger|Trolley Dodgers]]", of the [[American Association (19th century)|American Association]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Koppett |first=Leonard |date=14 October 1989 |title=Before There Were Subways, There Was a Subway Series |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/14/sports/before-there-were-subways-there-was-a-subway-series.html |access-date=18 November 2024 |work=New York Times |pages=1}}</ref> The following season, Brooklyn withdrew from the Association and joined the League, setting the stage for many future intra-city competitions.<ref name=":0" />