Aaron Boone is not a fan of the recent comments that some Los Angeles Dodgers players made in the media.
The New York Yankees manager Boone took a swipe at the Dodgers in an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Passan this week. Boone said that he took exception to a handful of Dodgers making shady public remarks about his team in the wake of 2024 World Series and indicated that it showed a lack of “class.”
“The reality is we didn’t play our best in the series and they won, so they had that right to say whatever,” Boone was quoted as saying. “Hopefully, we’re in that position next year and handle things with a little more class. But the reality is it’s a great team, it’s a great organization with a lot of great people that I happen to know and respect, too. So a few people sounding off isn’t necessarily how I would want to draw it up.”
Boone was specifically reacting to comments made in November by Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly and Dodgers utilityman Chris Taylor in separate podcast appearances. Kelly said on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast that the Yankees’ defensive deficiencies were “well-known” and even called them “sloppy.” Meanwhile, on Dodgers star Mookie Betts’ podcast later that month, Taylor joked that the Yankees “had s–t [running] down their leg.”
You can watch the remarks from both Kelly and Taylor below (but obviously look out for the bad language).
The Yankees did indeed make a litany of brutal mistakes in the field during their five-game loss to the Dodgers in the World Series (especially in the decisive Game 5). They also struggled with defensive miscues throughout the regular season, and it is clear that the Yankees had developed a reputation for poor fundamentals in the eyes of both fans and opponents.
But what Boone is taking exception to here is the public derision of his club by the Dodgers, especially after they already beat the Yankees in the World Series. While Boone himself was also responsible for some major misfires during that series, he is looking forward to the opportunity next season to show the Dodgers what winning with class (by his definition) looks like.
