The Giants, who followed the Dodgers west in 1957, moving to San Francisco, first owned the town, winning the World Series in 1905 and beating the Yankees for titles in 1921 and 1922. Then it was the Yankees, who’d moved from Baltimore in 1903, who became baseball royalty led by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and a lineup once known as "Murderer’s Row."

The team of their youth, or the team that represents the city they call home? It's a choice facing a select few this October.

As October cools the air and shortens the days, the fever pitch of baseball heats up. This year, the Fall Classic serves up an epic showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees—a World Series matchup that fans and pundits have dreamed of and dreaded in equal measure for decades.