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Dodgers, Angels to resume traditional Freeway Series

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The Freeway Series is back.

To the longtime Southern California baseball fan, the Freeway Series does not refer to interleague play. The traditional reference, in fact, predated interleague play and referred to a three-game exhibition series between the Dodgers and Angels that immediately preceded the start of the regular season.

It was a grand finale to the spring, a civic welcome to the new season. In 2012, for the first time in 14 years, the Dodgers and Angels are scheduled to conclude their exhibition schedule with a three-game Freeway Series.

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In 1999, when the New York Yankees opened the regular season on the West Coast, the Dodgers dropped the Angels from their spring schedule so they could play the Yankees and benefit from a bigger crowd at Dodger Stadium. The Angels scrambled for two replacement games, one against Cal State Fullerton and one against a Mexican League club.

The Dodgers and Angels have occasionally met for one or two preseason games in Southern California since then, but this spring will mark the return of the traditional three-game series. The games are set for April 2 at Angel Stadium and April 3-4 at Dodger Stadium.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said Tim Mead, the Angels’ vice president of communications. “It’s a great way to start the regular season.”

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