Ex-Dodger Chris Taylor doesn't regret trash-talking Yankees after World Series

New York Times

6 days ago

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor didn't regret saying it. In fact, he doubled down.
In November, Taylor said the New York Yankees 's— down their leg' during a meltdown fifth inning in the decisive Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. It was perhaps the sharpest critique among a handful of Dodgers players who ripped the Yankees after they beat them in the Fall Classic. Taylor made the comment while appearing on Mookie Betts' podcast, which aired about two weeks after the World Series.
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Wednesday, Taylor, now playing for the Los Angeles Angels, told The Athletic he wouldn't take back the barb.
'Honestly,' he said, 'I didn't think I was saying anything super critical, to me. I think if you would have asked them, they would have said the same thing. That's kind of how I felt about it.'
He added, 'I didn't mean any offense by it. To me, it was just like, I was kind of stating the fact.'
The Yankees took a 5-0 lead into the fifth inning, hoping to rebound from a 3-1 series deficit at Yankee Stadium.
Then they saw stunning mistakes from some of their steadiest players.
Center fielder Aaron Judge dropped a line drive hit right at him for his first error of the entire year. Then shortstop Anthony Volpe fielded a grounder but made a throwing error trying for an out at third base. Finally, with the bases loaded and two outs, ace Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rizzo miscommunicated on a grounder to first base that allowed a run to score and the inning to continue.
Game 5 flipped completely with a 5-run 5th and is now tied 5-5. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/nS3SRAZvem
— MLB (@MLB) October 31, 2024
It led to a five-run explosion from the Dodgers, who went on to win the game and secure the World Series victory. Taylor watched the game from the dugout until the ninth inning when he was summoned to pinch run and play left field.
After the World Series, several Dodgers sounded off about the Yankees. Reliever Joe Kelly called the World Series a 'mismatch from the get-go' and said the Yankees would be ranked eighth or ninth out of all the postseason teams going into the playoffs. Infielder Miguel Rojas said the Yankees played 'lazy defense' and poked at their fundamentals.
On Betts' podcast, Taylor was surrounded by several teammates.
Taylor said he didn't see the stir that his trash talk caused on social media, and that he didn't hear from any Yankees players about it.
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'Obviously, like, I guess we were caught up in the celebration a little bit, too, at that point,' Taylor said. 'I think all of us were maybe speaking a little more freely than we would in a typical interview.
'But I don't take back what I said. I think I was just telling the truth. I didn't mean any offense by it. I guess you could say, I could see how people would take it personally. I could see how that would maybe put a chip on their shoulder. But, to me, it kind of was what it was.'
Judge told reporters Wednesday he didn't put too much stock into the Dodgers' offseason jabs.
'You're really not trying to look much into it,' he said. 'I feel like their big-time players that played every day or played in the games, they really didn't say too much. It was a lot of the guys who really didn't do much. So I didn't pay too much attention to it. They can say what they want. When it comes down to it, we didn't win. If you win, you can say what you want. We didn't win. We kind of just got to take it on the chin and prepare yourself for the next season.'