TAMPA, Fla. — The last time the New York Yankees played baseball, they made a mockery of themselves in Game 5 of the World Series. The fifth inning of that contest will live in infamy, and the stench of what transpired may last until the Yankees win another World Series title.

There’s no manual for how anyone is supposed to behave after winning a championship, but some of the Los Angeles Dodgers took their gloating too far, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday during his first news conference of spring training.

Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly said on the Baseball Isn’t Boring show that the matchup between the two teams was a “mismatch from the get-go,” and the Yankees would be ranked eighth or ninth out of all the postseason teams; infielder Miguel Rojas said the Yankees had a “lazy defense” and he thought they were poor fundamentally; and utilityman Chris Taylor notoriously said the Yankees “s— down their leg.”

Those comments stung inside the Yankees’ organization. They spent their offseason trying to improve defensively and on the basepaths. Four months later, Boone still takes the Dodgers’ comments personally.

“I don’t like hearing that,” Boone said. “But the reality is, we didn’t play our best in the series, and they won. They have that right to say whatever. Hopefully, we’re in that position next year and handle things with a little more class. The reality is, that’s a great team and a great organization with a lot of great people I happen to know and respect, too. 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.”

What also bothered Boone about the Dodgers’ trash talk was not as much what was said but who said it. Kelly had a 4.78 ERA and wasn’t on the World Series roster because of a shoulder injury, and he may not have been on it if he were healthy. Rojas went 0-for-3 in his lone World Series game. Taylor had a 74 wRC+ in 2024 and was exclusively used as a pinch runner and a defensive replacement in the World Series.

“You didn’t hear that from the (Freddie) Freemans, (Mookie) Betts, (Shohei) Ohtanis and (Clayton) Kershaws,” Boone said. “Sometimes, you’re coming off the drunkenness of winning a world championship. Some guys are more inclined to spout off and be a little more colorful than others. Again, that’s their right. They won. Hopefully, we’re in that position and do things a little better.”

Last week, former Yankee Jon Berti told Foul Territory that he felt the Dodgers disrespected the Yankees so much that it felt like they were making it seem as if “we didn’t even belong in the World Series.”

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner recently said he believes his club is better now than it was at this point last year. That will be left up to debate for now and decided throughout the season. Boone believes the moves the Yankees made this offseason give them the opportunity to get back to the World Series.

Losing Juan Soto was a blow to the organization. Boone reiterated that the club desperately wanted him to return, but the New York Mets had the higher offer, which left the Yankees needing to pivot. A clear objective from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was to improve defensively, and they’ve done that. Gleyber Torres, who finished with the most errors by a second baseman in 2024, is gone; Soto was a well-below-average right fielder; and Anthony Rizzo graded out negatively at first base. Shifting Aaron Judge back to right field should give the Yankees a better outfield alignment, even with Jasson Domínguez inexperienced in left field. Jazz Chisholm Jr., the expected starter at second base, should be a massive upgrade over Torres.

Like almost every team in baseball, the Yankees certainly have questions to answer and some holes on their roster, but they believe they’re in a good spot at the start of spring. Boone hopes they’ll be the ones this time who will be in a position to gloat if they wished.

“We have a chance to be a really good club, which is usually the case year in and year out when you get to put on this uniform,” Boone said. “It’s on us to start doing the work.”