Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly criticized the New York Yankees following his team’s five-game victory in the 2024 World Series.
“It was just a mismatch from the get-go,” Kelly said on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast. “If we had a playoff re-ranking, they might be ranked the eighth or ninth-best playoff team, you know what I mean? 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.”
“It was just a complete mismatch,” he added.
Kelly didn’t make an appearance during Los Angeles’ postseason run because of a shoulder issue.
The 36-year-old previously mocked the Dodgers’ World Series opponent for the performance from rapper Fat Joe prior to Game 3 of the Fall Classic at Yankee Stadium.
“They started kicking the ball around and playing Yankee defense,” Kelly said, via Erich Richter of the New York Post. “Oh, he was on the Jumbotron, I’m pretty sure, right before the fifth. I looked over at [Brent] Honeywell and said ‘The Fat Joe Curse, watch.’ and we started chipping away, chipping away, chipping away. And bad play, bad play, bad play. And I end up getting my second one with the Dodgers.”
While the veteran relief pitcher wasn’t impressed with New York, it’s hard to argue that the team wasn’t one of the best in the majors during the 2024 season. The Yankees finished with an American League-leading 94-68 record while their plus-147 run differential was the second-best among all teams behind Los Angeles.
Still, the Dodgers’ relatively easy series victory likely didn’t make New York as imposing as other opponents. Los Angeles survived a five-game battle with the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series before taking down the Mets in six games during the NL Championship Series.
In 35 appearances last season, Kelly finished with a 4.78 ERA while recording 35 strikeouts in 32 innings of work. He’s currently set to enter unrestricted free agency after earning $8 million for his 2024 campaign.
Although the Yankees won their first AL pennant since 2009, Kelly wasn’t convinced that they were one of the top teams in the majors following the 2024 World Series result.
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