For the first three years of his MLB career, John Brebbia experienced the rivalry between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs.
Now, the former Cardinals reliever is part of the bitter rivalry between the Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Giants signed Brebbia in December 2020, but he was recovering from Tommy John surgery and didn't make his debut with the team until June 2021. And while his numbers last year weren't up to his standard, he has become a valuable member of the bullpen this season, sporting a 2.84 ERA in 27 appearances.
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Ahead of the series finale between the Giants and Dodgers on Sunday at Oracle Park, Brebbia spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area's "Summer Sunday" hosts Therese Viñal and Carmen Kiew to discuss the rivalry and the passionate fanbases.
"It's really cool," Brebbia said. "I think rivalries in sports are really fun anyway because it really brings out a ton of passion for your team and and a ton of dispassion for the other team, which is oftentimes fun, sometimes not. I got to watch Giants-Dodgers games last year when I was rehabbing and all that stuff, and it just seemed like such a cool atmosphere, especially in this stadium which is so unique.
"And Dodger Stadium has a great atmosphere for the rivalry, too. They pack in a lot of people and there's a lot of screaming and yelling and it's a lot of fun. So to finally start to get into some games last year, more so this year, it's been a ton of fun. It feels different. It feels like the playoffs all the time and that's something I think is really cool."
The Giants and Dodgers actually met in the playoffs last year, facing off in an epic five-game National League Division Series, but Brebbia wasn't on the roster and didn't pitch in the series.
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Brebbia did, however, pitch a scoreless inning in the Giants' 7-2 win over the Dodgers in the series opener on Friday night. He also went one inning in a loss at Dodger Stadium on May 3, so he is getting very familiar with the rivalry this season.
"It's usually pretty fun," Brebbia said. "Every now and then, there's the fan-on-fan tussle. It's usually a lot of fun. For the most part, people aren't throwing stuff, like throwing glass bottles at us or anything like that. It's usually just some lighthearted 'You stink.' Maybe not quite as friendly language.
"It's great. For me personally, I can't speak for anyone else, but when I see someone care so much about baseball, whether they care about the team I'm playing against or the team I'm playing on, it's so cool to see their reaction and their behavior and their emotion and their passion for their organization. And I think that's really cool."
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Brebbia and the Giants will go for the three-game sweep of the Dodgers on Sunday at Oracle Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PT.