The New York Yankees won’t easily forget the comments that emerged from the rival camp after the Los Angeles Dodgers’ victory in the MLB World Series. Several players from the championship team made remarks that many perceived as derogatory and disrespectful toward the New York team.
Jon Berti, a former Yankees player and current member of the Chicago Cubs, was one of the players who voiced his discontent over the remarks. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a World Series-winning team talk as badly as they did about the World Series-losing team,” Berti stated on the podcast Foul Territory. “It felt like we were being disrespected to the point where we didn’t even belong in the World Series.”
The most direct criticism came from Chris Taylor, who, on Bleacher Report’s On Base With Mookie Betts podcast, said, “We’re all kind of thinking it — (the Yankees) kind of (crapped) down their leg.” Taylor continued, “They were pressing. It was one thing after another… All we’ve got to do is put the ball in play right now.” Taylor’s comments were mocking the Yankees’ collapse in Game 5 of the World Series.
Joe Kelly joins in the criticism of the Yankees
Criticism of the Yankees didn’t stop with Taylor. Reliever Joe Kelly also joined the chorus on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast. “I mean, you saw, Shohei (Ohtani) got an extra base going to third on a sloppy Gleyber (Torres) play,” Kelly commented. “It’s well known. We all knew. We’re the Dodgers; we know every little detail. But past that, it was a fun series. They almost snagged a couple of wins. It was just a mismatch from the get-go. Like if we had a playoff re-ranking, they might be ranked eighth- or ninth-best playoff team.”
Jon Berti #19 of the New York Yankees reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals during Game Two of the Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 07, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Berti defends his former team, the Yankees
Berti, who knows firsthand the intensity of the rivalry between the two teams, defended his former Yankees teammates. “We won a lot of games last year. We won our division,” Berti said. “We went and took care of Kansas City and took care of Cleveland. So we deserved to be there. Unfortunately, we didn’t perform at our best.”
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The Yankees’ response to the criticism
The statements from the Dodgers players have sparked controversy and reignited the rivalry between the two franchises. Despite their loss in the World Series, the Yankees showed competitiveness throughout the season and feel that the Dodgers’ criticism was both unnecessary and excessive.
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