The New York Yankees were eliminated in the American League Division Series this year. Meanwhile, their opponent from last year’s World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers, is back in the Fall Classic.
Not many are surprised that the Dodgers’ star-studded roster is trying to become the first back-to-back champion since 2000, when the Yankees completed a three-peat. A member of that 2000 Yankees team was Derek Jeter, who is now taking subtle jabs at the Dodgers.
Jeter, a five-time World Series champion, interviewed Mookie Betts before Game 3 of the World Series and brought up some of Betts’ comments from the past. Betts had previously mentioned he was chasing Jeter in rings. According to the New York Post, the interview aired before the Game 3 broadcast, and Jeter took a slight jab at the Dodgers and Betts.
“How many rings you got?” Jeter asked Betts.
“Three,” Betts replied.
“Two and a half,” Jeter replied jokingly, likely implying that the Dodgers’ 2020 championship counts as just half a ring.
The Dodgers won the World Series during the pandemic-shortened season. The legitimacy of the title is often brought into question. The regular season was just 60 games. Betts, however, had already won a championship with the Boston Red Sox before he ever put on a Dodgers uniform.
Last season, Betts earned his third ring, bringing him closer to Jeter. Winning this year would put him just one shy of the Hall of Famer, with seemingly many years of playing alongside Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in front of him.
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