MLB News: Dodgers' Joe Kelly unleashes harsh critique of Yankees after World Series defeat

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly, whose team became the current MLB champions after defeating the New York Yankees in five games, didn’t hold back in criticizing the rival team’s performance in the World Series.

In a recent appearance on the podcast The Baseball Isn’t Boring, reliever Kelly openly shared his thoughts on the New York team, describing them as “one of the worst teams in the playoffs.”

“We were saying it every single game, just let them throw the ball to the infield,” Kelly said. “They can’t make a play. I mean, you saw Shohei get an extra base going to third on a sloppy play by Gleyber. It’s well known. We all knew. We’re the Dodgers—we know every little detail. But beyond that, it was a fun series. They almost snagged a couple of wins. It was just a mismatch from the start. If we had a playoff re-ranking, they might be ranked the 8th or 9th best playoff team.”

Kelly also compared this World Series to 2018, when the Dodgers faced the Red Sox. “It was kind of the same feeling from 2018, when we had to play the Dodgers. The Red Sox were just the way better team,” Kelly said.

“All we knew was that we had to play regular Dodgers baseball. We didn’t have to do anything crazy, and we were going to win the World Series. Look at the team, look at the talent. We go through numerous scouting reports. We pay attention to every single detail. We have a lot of big superstars in our clubhouse, but our superstars also care, aren’t lazy, and play hard. That’s the difference and the biggest separator.” Kelly added.

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Alongside this controversy, New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman recently defended manager Aaron Boone amidst criticism over how the team was managed during the World Series.

“The manager’s job is so impossible; you can play the game of second-guessing. You’re either going to make a move, and it’ll be right, or make a move, and it will be wrong… I think he’s a really, really good manager. We’re lucky to have him, and he’s done a great job,” Cashman said of Boone, via SNY.

Dodgers clinched eighth MLB World Series title

The Dodgers clinched their eighth MLB World Series title by defeating the Yankees in five games. This victory marks their second championship in the past five seasons, following their previous win in 2020. The Dodgers’ World Series titles were achieved in the following years: 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988, 2020, and 2024.