Joe Kelly buries the Yankees two feet further in the mud with the latest criticism

Fresh off his third World Series win and second with the Los Angeles Dodgersreliever Joe Kelly had a lot to say about the New York Yankees terrible World Series defense on Rob Bradford’s “Baseball isn’t boring“podcast.

If previously reporteddetails of the Dodgers scouting report against the Yankees have been released following the Dodgers Game 5 World Series clincher. The Dodgers entered the series knowing they were fundamentally the better team, while the Yankees blitzed on substance.

The Yankees’ poor positioning, lack of urgency and several glaring mistakes cost them a real shot at the Commissioner’s Trophy – and Joe Kelly knew it.

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Kelly claimed that the Dodgers were participating in the series believing they were the better team. Kelly even said that the Yankees were actually the “eighth or ninth” best team in the entire playoffs.

“It was just a complete mismatch,” Kelly said. “All we knew is we just had to play Dodger baseball. We didn’t have to play out of our butts. We didn’t have to do anything crazy and we’re going to win the World Series. Those are the facts.”

“We said it every game. Let them throw the ball to the infield, they can’t play,” he said. “We have a lot of big superstars in our clubhouse, but the superstars also care and are not lazy and play hard, so that is the difference and the biggest distinction.”

It was indeed the “largest separator”. Although harsh, this criticism is true. After all, three disastrous defensive plays immediately resulted in a five-run fifth-inning rally by the Dodgers in Game 5. The Yankees’ superstars did everything they could to prove that Kelly and the Dodgers’ scouting report was completely correct and imploded when even the slightest pressure was put on them.

On the other hand, the Dodgers were focused on the fundamentals. This difference was most apparent on Mookie Betts’ RBI single in Game 5. Betts hit a weak ground ball to first and Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo went to get it and threw it back to first base. Pitcher Garret Cole didn’t go to first and at that point it was too late for Rizzo to pick up any speed on his way to the bag. Despite the play being a routine score, Betts never gave up and sprinted to first to beat Rizzo, bringing in one run and sparking the Dodgers’ comeback.

It’s pretty simple: the Dodgers focused on doing all the little things right. This increases the chances of the Yankees making mistakes. While it looked like the Yankees had some new life in Games 4 and 5, they ultimately proved to be the architects of their own defeat.

Ignoring the fundamentals results in poor play and that is simply unacceptable for a World Series team. The Dodgers knew they were the better team and didn’t have the championship to prove it. To be more competitive in the future, the Yankees need to go back to basics and improve their fundamentals. While this may be a tough pill to swallow for their superstars, it is a necessary step forward.