Dodgers Champion Joe Kelly Takes Another Shot at Yankees, Manager Aaron Boone

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a lot to celebrate since October.

After beating the New York Yankees in the World Series — and not to mention a dominant offseason to retool their team almost immediately after — there have been many expectations for Los Angeles in 2025.

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While eyeing history and looking to become the first ball club to win consecutive titles in a quarter-century, many players have spoken proudly on the road to the franchise’s eighth championship and the kind of challenges they had faced.

One of those players from the 2024 squad is no stranger to speaking candidly to the public about his thoughts and opinions, and that player is Joe Kelly.

Kelly, a three-time World Series champion, has been considering retirement this offseason, but on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast, spoke on the fifth inning in the World Series that altered the course of the baseball world forever.

L.A. was down 5-0 in Game 5 to the Yankees as the series looked to head back to Dodger Stadium for a Game 6.

With one on and nobody out in the soon-to-be historic inning, American League MVP Aaron Judge dropped a routine fly ball. Next, the Yankees’ newly-acquired All-Star in Jazz Chisholm Jr. dropped a ball that would have surely tagged out Kiké Hernández, but Kelly is discussing yet another error from the Yankees that inning.

Mookie Betts, with his Dodgers up 3-1 in the World Series, was up to bat with two down. After a 1-0 count, Betts hit a ground ball that very well should have ended the inning.

Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo went to collect the ground ball, and upon expecting pitcher Gerrit Cole to run down to first to receive his throw, Cole was nowhere to be found and Mookie collected his RBI.

The rest is history, as Dodgers fans will forever recall, as the Dodgers tied the game in the fifth and later secured the championship. Kelly doubled down on his jokes on the podcast.

“I wonder how ground balls are going. PFPs (pitcher’s fielding practice), ground balls, the little things,” Kelly said. “I got (my son) Knox’s nine-year-old travel team, first move after a ground ball to the right side, all of them are breaking. Every single one of them. Kids that pitch once a week know to get over. They’re nine! Not one of them forgets to get over. I promise you. I know who does forget to get over, and it’s not the nine-year-olds.”

Kelly also took a shot at Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who called out the Dodgers for their trash talk.

“(Boone’s) just so hurt. It’s so sad,” Kelly said. “When your fearless leader has fear, it’s a little tough to see. Feelings are hurt.”

Whether Kelly returns to Los Angeles — or even professional baseball — this offseason, he will always be remembered for his contributions towards both the 2020 and 2024 championship campaigns.

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Photo Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

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