The Los Angeles Dodgers recently prevailed over the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series. While the games were for most part hotly contested, the Dodgers needed just five games to secure the belt and the title. In that deciding fifth game, repeated defensive miscues by the Yankees played a central role in their defeat.
That brings us to veteran reliever Joe Kelly, who was indeed employed by the Dodgers during the 2024 season. Kelly in a recent episode of his podcast reflected upon the recently completed World Series in which he did not participate. He did so in unsparing terms, which may reflect his genuinely held beliefs about the Yankees or may have been spoken in the interests of playing the provocateur. Maybe it's some of both. In any event, here's some of what Kelly said about the vanquished Yankees:
"It was a mismatch from the get-go. If we had a playoff re-ranking, they might be ranked the 8th- or 9th-best playoff team.
"You're putting the Padres ahead of them, you're putting the Phillies ahead of them, you're putting the Mets ahead of them, you're putting the Braves ahead of them. The Guardians played like crap, but the Guardians played better defense and better baseball all around.
"It was a complete mismatch.
"All we knew is that we had to play regular Dodger 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 and aren't lazy and play hard. That's the difference and the biggest separator."
By way of reminder, the Yankees during the regular season went 94-68, which gave them the best record in the American League, and they out-scored their opponents by 147 runs. While no one will dispute that the Dodgers beat the Yankees in four out of five games in the World Series, it's worth noting in light of Kelly's remarks that they out-scored the Yankees by a total of only one run across that span of contests.
Kelly didn't pitch at all this postseason, and during the regular season he put up a WAR of minus-0.4 in 32 innings for the Dodgers.