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Los Angeles Times
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
‘Another log on the fire.' Yankees eager to avenge World Series meltdown against Dodgers
For Dodgers fans, the must-have souvenir from last year's World Series was not a cap or T-shirt commemorating the team's championship. It was one of the stickers that popped up all over town, reproducing the Fox Sports score box that showed the New York Yankees leading, 5-0, with two out in the fifth inning. For the Yankees, it was the image that encapsulated an inning of extremely unfortunate events: Aaron Judge dropped a fly ball, Anthony Volpe committed a throwing error, Gerrit Cole did not cover first base. The Dodgers tied the score before the Yankees could secure that third out and, a couple hours later, boisterously raised the championship trophy atop a makeshift stage in the Yankee Stadium outfield. The celebrations raged for days, including a Mookie Betts podcast on which Chris Taylor said the Yankees had 's— down their leg' and a 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast on which Joe Kelly said the Dodgers' scouting reports had highlighted the Yankees' deficiencies: 'They can't make a play.' You cannot glorify bat flips, as Major League Baseball itself does these days, and you cannot encourage players to market themselves and share their personalities, as the league also does, without running the risk of what the old-fashioned among us might call poor sportsmanship. To the Yankees' credit, they get it. 'The way I personally look at it is, when you go out and you are on the right side of the victory, you've got a leg to stand on,' Yankees closer Luke Weaver told me this week at Angel Stadium. 'When you lose, you ain't got much to say. 'They said what they said. That's what they felt. I don't take it too personally. In a perfect world, yeah, you don't want to hear that type of stuff. We know what happened. We know we had to do a better job. We just didn't quite do what we wanted to do. With that being said, it is what it is.' For the first time since the World Series, the Yankees return to Dodger Stadium this weekend. The Dodgers are sold out of suites advertised this week for as much as $15,000 per game. As of Wednesday, available tickets on the team website for Friday's series opener ranged from $103 to $567 in general, $146 to $607 with early entry included. The entire series will be nationally broadcast: Friday on Apple+, Saturday on Fox, Sunday on ESPN. 'I understand that it's going to get a lot of eyeballs,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. 'I think that's great for our sport.' Said Weaver: 'It'll be a big series because, one, they're a great team, and we feel like we're a great team. It's hard to say it's not a rematch. 'To be honest, there's probably some deeper pride that wants to go in there and play good ball and play clean ball, and make sure that we take the series and do our job.' ESPN played up the 'rematch' angle during last Sunday's Dodgers broadcast. However, of the 10 players that started that fateful Game 5 of the World Series for the Yankees, only three are active on the Yankees' roster: Judge, Volpe and catcher Austin Wells. Gone in free agency: outfielders Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo and infielders Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres. On the injured list: Cole, infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton. New to New York: former Dodger Cody Bellinger, former Dodger-killer Paul Goldschmidt and L.A.'s own Max Fried, who is Friday's scheduled starting pitcher. In spring training, Judge said there was a simple solution to whatever verbal shots the Dodgers took in the wake of the World Series: 'Play better.' At the time, Boone said he hoped the Yankees would 'handle things with a little more class' if they won the World Series this year. He also noted the Dodgers' stars did not say anything to diminish the Yankees. 'Some guys are more inclined to spout off and be a little more colorful than others, and that's their right. They won,' he said then. 'And again, hopefully we're in that position and do things a little better.' Have the Yankees used that fifth inning for motivation or just flushed it? 'I've used the phrase 'another log on the fire,'' Boone said this week. 'We've had some really tough ends to the season, and probably in some way, shape or form serve as some motivation. 'But I'd like to think that, had we won the World Series last year, we'd be hell bent on getting back again. You put this uniform on, and this hat, and what it represents, and our goal is to get back and do that again.' The Detroit Tigers, not the Yankees, have the best record in the American League. The Philadelphia Phillies, not the Dodgers, have the best record in the National League. Yet the projections at Baseball Prospectus and Fangraphs say the most likely World Series matchup is a Dodgers-Yankees rematch. That would be great for L.A. and New York, and for Fox, but that also would make a lockout after the 2026 season even more likely than it already is. You can hear the owners now: If the price of admission to the World Series again is a team in one of the two largest markets in baseball, how can a team in any other market hope to compete? And, if the Dodgers spend $1 billion on free agents, win, spend another half-billion on free agents, and return to the World Series, are the Dodgers ruining baseball? 'It's difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kinds of things that they're doing,' an owner said last January. Oh, wait: That was Hal Steinbrenner, owner of the Yankees, the one team that CNBC estimated generated more revenue than the Dodgers last year. This, we hope, is Steinbrenner being a team player. One high-ranking sports industry executive told me he never has seen baseball owners so united on pursuing major changes to the sport's economic structure, salary cap or otherwise. Either the large-market owners and small-market owners truly are on the same page, or at least they need the players' union to believe they are. It is difficult to imagine Steinbrenner willfully offering to surrender some of the Yankees' competitive advantage so the Pittsburgh Pirates can squander a few more bucks. What Steinbrenner said is reasonable at a time cable television revenue has dried up for many teams, even as the Dodgers and Yankees continue to cash in, but the 'us' makes the comment look silly. If a couple players on the Dodgers can make a silly comment, so can the owner of the Yankees. Bring on the World Series rematch.
Fox News
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Red Sox's Garrett Crochet opens up about drama surrounding last season's contract talks
In December, the Chicago White Sox traded pitcher Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox. Shortly after joining the Red Sox, Crochet made it clear he was seeking a long-term contract extension from his new team. The request raised some eyebrows, considering the White Sox were not successful in their reported attempts to move Crochet ahead of last July's trade deadline. Crochet was also on an innings restriction last season, but he did manage to pitch 146 innings in 2024. Crochet is projected to take the mound for the Red Sox on opening day next month. As April nears, the 25-year-old is sharing some details about what led to him being described as a "greedy" player. "I know when it came out a lot of people were looking [at it] as greedy," Crochet said during an appearance on "Baseball Isn't Boring" in reference to his contract demands going public. Crochet explained that his push for an extension centered around him moving from a reliever to a full-time starter. "I didn't, by no means, feel like I was demanding it because I wanted money or security by itself. It was more so in the fact that I was establishing myself as a starter and kind of getting away from the idea that teams viewed me as a potential high-end reliever." Crochet emerged from the bullpen 54 times in 2021 when he was with the White Sox. He was deployed as a reliever a total of 18 times in 2020, 2022 and 2023 due to injuries. Crochet moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation last season, making 32 starts and finishing the year with a 3.58 ERA. Crochet acknowledged the important role his health played last season. "I was having a good year, and I was staying healthy for the first time in my career," he said. "In 2020, flexor strain. In '21, I had the back thing. "Then I blow out. … Now I'm starting on a set routine, and I'm feeling good every fifth day. And I'm able to go out and perform. Why should I jeopardize that for a team I don't really owe anything to?" Barring a contract extension, Crochet would be eligible to enter the free agent market after the 2026 season. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aaron Boone says if Yankees win World Series, he hopes they do it with 'more class' than Dodgers
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone hopes his team does this year what the Dodgers did last season — win a championship. If that happens, however, Boone doesn't want his players to behave in the same manner as some Dodgers players have in the aftermath of beating the Yankees in the 2024 World Series. Boone spoke with reporters Tuesday as pitchers and catchers arrived at spring training in Tampa, Fla., and was asked how he felt about some of the Dodgers "talking trash" about the Yankees during the offseason. "Don't like hearing that," Boone said. "But the reality is we didn't play our best in the series and they won, so they had that right to say whatever. Hopefully, we're in that position next year and handle things with a little more class." Read more: 'Hungrier than ever.' Dodgers open spring training focused on avoiding World Series hangover The Dodgers defeated the Yankees in Game 1 and 2 at Dodger Stadium, then won Game 3 and lost Game 4 at Yankee Stadium. In Game 5, also in the Bronx, the Dodgers trailed by five going into the fifth inning but capitalized on multiple New York miscues in the top of that inning — including center fielder Aaron Judge dropping a line drive, shortstop Anthony Volpe spiking a throw to third and ace Gerrit Cole failing to cover first on a routine ground ball — to tie the game. Four and a half innings later, the Dodgers were celebrating a 7-6 win and their second World Series championship in five years. "The reality is it's a great team, it's a great organization with a lot of great people that I happen to know and respect, too," Boone said of the Dodgers this week. "So a few people sounding off isn't necessarily how I would want to draw it up. But they're the champs. They have that right.' In the days following the World Series, some Dodgers players made comments that got under the skin of some Yankees fans. Relief pitcher Joe Kelly — who did not play in the postseason because of a right shoulder injury and is now a free agent — stated that the Dodgers had been looking to capitalize on "sloppy" play by the Yankees throughout the series. "They can't make a play," Kelly said on the Nov. 4 episode of the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. Read more: MLB offseason winners and losers: Dodgers conquered. Here's how other teams fared Kelly went on to say that the series "was just a mismatch from the get-go" and that the Yankees might be considered the "eighth- or ninth-best playoff team" from last fall. Dodgers star Mookie Betts had a number of his teammates on an episode of his "On Base" podcast that was recorded Nov. 1 following the team's victory parade and fan celebration at Dodger Stadium. In that festive setting, utility player Chris Taylor used a profane phrase to describe the Yankees' Game 5 meltdown. Taylor added: "They kind of s— down their leg. They were pressing. It was like one thing after the next, so I think our energy in the dugout was kind of feeding off that. It was like, 'All we got to do is put the ball in play right now,' you know?" Boone was sure to point out that the Dodgers biggest stars — specifically naming Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw — have not disrespected his team. Instead, Boone suggested, it was guys who played a much smaller role in the Dodgers' success. "Some guys are more inclined to spout off and be a little more colorful than others," Boone said. "And again, that's their right. They won. And again, hopefully we're in that position and do things a little better." Read more: Hernández: Absurdly talented Dodgers make once-impossible 120 MLB wins seem inevitable Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
13-02-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Aaron Boone says if Yankees win World Series, he hopes they do it with ‘more class' than Dodgers
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone hopes his team does this year what the Dodgers did last season — win a championship. If that happens, however, Boone doesn't want his players to behave in the same manner as some Dodgers players have in the aftermath of beating the Yankees in the 2024 World Series. Boone spoke with reporters Tuesday as pitchers and catchers arrived at spring training in Tampa, Fla., and was asked how he felt about some of the Dodgers 'talking trash' about the Yankees during the offseason. 'Don't like hearing that,' Boone said. 'But the reality is we didn't play our best in the series and they won, so they had that right to say whatever. Hopefully, we're in that position next year and handle things with a little more class.' The Dodgers defeated the Yankees in Game 1 and 2 at Dodger Stadium, then won Game 3 and lost Game 4 at Yankee Stadium. In Game 5, also in the Bronx, the Dodgers trailed by five going into the fifth inning but capitalized on multiple New York miscues in the top of that inning — including center fielder Aaron Judge dropping a line drive, shortstop Anthony Volpe spiking a throw to third and ace Gerrit Cole failing to cover first on a routine ground ball — to tie the game. Four and a half innings later, the Dodgers were celebrating a 7-6 win and their second World Series championship in five years. 'The reality is it's a great team, it's a great organization with a lot of great people that I happen to know and respect, too,' Boone said of the Dodgers this week. 'So a few people sounding off isn't necessarily how I would want to draw it up. But they're the champs. They have that right.' In the days following the World Series, some Dodgers players made comments that got under the skin of some Yankees fans. Relief pitcher Joe Kelly — who did not play in the postseason because of a right shoulder injury and is now a free agent — stated that the Dodgers had been looking to capitalize on 'sloppy' play by the Yankees throughout the series. 'They can't make a play,' Kelly said on the Nov. 4 episode of the 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast. Kelly went on to say that the series 'was just a mismatch from the get-go' and that the Yankees might be considered the 'eighth- or ninth-best playoff team' from last fall. Dodgers star Mookie Betts had a number of his teammates on an episode of his 'On Base' podcast that was recorded Nov. 1 following the team's victory parade and fan celebration at Dodger Stadium. In that festive setting, utility player Chris Taylor used a profane phrase to describe the Yankees' Game 5 meltdown. Taylor added: 'They kind of s— down their leg. They were pressing. It was like one thing after the next, so I think our energy in the dugout was kind of feeding off that. It was like, 'All we got to do is put the ball in play right now,' you know?' Boone was sure to point out that the Dodgers biggest stars — specifically naming Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw — have not disrespected his team. Instead, Boone suggested, it was guys who played a much smaller role in the Dodgers' success. 'Some guys are more inclined to spout off and be a little more colorful than others,' Boone said. 'And again, that's their right. They won. And again, hopefully we're in that position and do things a little better.'
Fox Sports
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Aaron Boone hopes Yankees would handle title with 'more class' than Dodgers
Three months after the World Series, Yankees manager Aaron Boone remained unhappy with some of the Los Angeles Dodgers' remarks after they beat a sloppy New York team in five games for the title. Speaking on Tuesday at the start of spring training, Boone was asked whether his players took the comments personally. "Probably a little bit," he said, "but the reality is we didn't play our best in the series and they won, so they have that right to say whatever. Hopefully, we're in that position next year and handle things with a little more class but the reality is it's a great team, it's a great organization with a lot of great people that I happen to know and respect, too. So a few people sounding off isn't necessarily how I would want to draw it up. But they're the champs. They have that right." Los Angeles pitcher Joe Kelly said on his "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast the Dodgers entered each game saying: "Just let them throw the ball into the infield. They can't make a play." Jake Cousins sidelined and could miss opening day Ahead of the opening workout, Boone said right-hander Jake Cousins has a strained right forearm and could resume throwing next week. Boone said the reliever is uncertain to be ready for the March 27 opener. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
