Aaron Boone, the manager of the New York Yankees, is still upset with the way the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their World Series triumph. As reported by The Athletic, Boone addressed comments made by Dodgers players during spring training, calling them disrespectful but acknowledging that his team must prove themselves on the field. Several Dodgers, including reliever Joe Kelly and infielder Miguel Rojas, derided the Yankees as inferior opponents after Los Angeles won the championship.
Kelly described the series as a “mismatch,” while Rojas lambasted the Yankees’ defense. Utility player Chris Taylor was even more frank, claiming New York “collapsed” under pressure. Boone takes issue with both the remarks and the source. He said that Dodgers stars Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Clayton Kershaw did not make such statements. Instead, the criticism came from players who made small contributions to the series.
Nonetheless, Boone recognized the Yankees did not play their best, and the Dodgers earned the right to celebrate as they pleased. His focus remains on using the criticisms as motivation. The Yankees used the summer to improve their flaws, notably on defense.
The departures of Gleyber Torres, Juan Soto, and Anthony Rizzo creates opportunities for improvement on the field. Aaron Judge is returning to right field, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. taking over at second base should bring much-needed consistency. While Soto’s loss stings, Boone remains optimistic about the Yankees’ chances of returning to the World Series.
He hopes his club will be celebrating next year. With a fresh start in spring training, the Yankees are looking to prove themselves throughout the season. The squad wants to use the Dodgers’ statements as motivation, with the ultimate objective of changing roles and being the ones celebrating a victory next year.