The Dodgers’ victory parade after winning the World Series was well-deserved and well-earned but, admittedly, it might’ve overstayed its welcome.
Game 5 of the Fall Classic against the Yankees was a horrifying debacle for New York, and the Dodgers just played better baseball, but LA players lined up to rub it in (and some seemingly still are) for perhaps a little too long afterwards.
And the Yankees didn’t exactly take kindly to it. It’s not hard to understand why, when the Dodgers’ critiques ranged from completely baffled to outright profane (Chris Taylor said the Yankees “s— down their leg) to nitpicky (Michael Kopech pointed out how many times Anthony Rizzo called mound meetings during the series).
The Dodgers were called “sore winners” for their seemingly endless, merry laps around the Yankees.
However, even former Yankees aren’t exactly doing themselves any favors when it comes to proving the Dodgers wrong.
Jon Berti, who didn’t even play in the World Series but took exception to the Dodgers’ trash-talk, was the Cubs’ starting second baseman during the Tokyo Series opener on Tuesday.
In the top of the fifth (sound familiar?), Teoscar Hernández smacked a grounder to third baseman Matt Shaw, who tossed it to Berti for the first out of what should’ve been a plausible double play.
The Cubs got the force out on Tommy Edman at second, but Berti turned and threw the ball clear over first baseman Michael Busch’s head, which allowed the tying run to score for the Dodgers.
They went on to score two more in that inning to take the lead after what could’ve been an inning-ending play.
Jon Berti throws the ball away and the Dodgers take the lead! pic.twitter.com/5oBKIjwtEN
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 18, 2025
Former Yankee Jon Berti immediately validates Dodgers’ post-World Series trash talk with botched play in Tokyo Series opener
Berti said of the Dodgers back in February, “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard World Series-winning team talk as badly as they did about the World Series loser.
We were being disrespected to the point of where it felt like we didn’t belong in the World Series.”
Again, the guy did not play in the World Series. Even though he’s not a Yankee anymore, he was easily the worst guy on the Cubs’ roster who could’ve made that error if the Yankees are still looking to recover some of their pride from last year.
Joel Sherman’s damning piece following the World Series, which reported that the Dodgers’ scouting report on the Yankees read that the Bronx Bombers were “talent over fundamentals” and advised to put the ball in play and let the defense make mistakes, proved itself to be right on the money during the World Series, and Berti, though not even in New York anymore, confirmed that it’s still true.