A few days ago, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly had a lot to say about the New York Yankees. He called them the ‘eighth or ninth’ best team in the playoffs, explained how his team thought the Bombers would “beat themselves” with sloppy defense and baserunning, and said the World Series was a “complete mismatch.”
It was a lot to digest for Yankees fans who had to see a member of the winning team talk so candidly about their mistakes and weaknesses.
Aaron Boone responds to Joe Kelly’s critical comments
On Monday, and for the first time since Kelly’s words, Yankees manager Aaron Boone talked about the topic. Asked if he was upset about what Kelly said about the Yankees, Boone acknowledged that he was, but didn’t want to give it much relevance:
“A little bit, but the bottom line is that we didn’t play as well as we could have, especially that tough inning in Game 5. That’s the ultimate disappointment,” Boone said.
- Yankees’ star prospect ‘leading candidate’ for center field job
- Yankees have to battle with hated rivals for star free agent starter
- Yankees ‘active’ on free agent relievers, could land high-leverage arm
The Yankees need to move forward
He also explained that it’s not worth it to get caught up on what people say or do, “especially when it comes from certain places.” He surely meant the Dodgers, in this case, the players.
Boone, whose club option was exercised by the Yankees meaning that he will return for the 2025 campaign, did stress that he feels happy with how his team performed during the playoffs:
“I am very proud of what we did as a group,” he stated. The Yankees could have probably won Games 1 and 5 with better execution and fewer mistakes, but that should be water under the bridge by now.
The Yankees are already planning their 2025 roster, as they should. They can’t be worrying about what people on other squads say or do. All they can do is prepare a quality, well-coached team and seek revenge on the field.