Fresh off his third World Series victory and his second with the Los Angeles Dodgersreliever Joe Kelly had a lot to say about the New York Yankees terrible World Series defense on the “Baseball is not boring” podcast.

As previously reportedDetails of the Dodgers vs. Yankees scouting report were released after the Dodgers Game 5 World Series decider. The Dodgers entered the Series knowing they were fundamentally the better team, while the Yankees were on the bottom.

The Yankees’ poor positioning, lack of urgency and several glaring errors cost them a real chance at the Commissioner’s Trophy – and Joe Kelly knew it.

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Kelly claimed the Dodgers entered the series believing they were the better team. In fact, Kelly said the Yankees were actually the “eighth or ninth” best team in the entire postseason.

“It was just a complete mismatch,” Kelly said. “All we knew was that we just had to play regular Dodgers baseball. We didn’t have to play hard. We didn’t have to do anything crazy and we were going to win the World Series. This are facts.”

“We kept saying it every game. Just let them throw the ball to the infield, they won’t be able to play,” he said. “We have a lot of great superstars in our clubhouse, but the superstars care too and aren’t lazy and don’t play hard, so that’s the difference and the biggest separator.”

It was indeed the “greatest separator”. Although harsh, this criticism is true. After all, three disastrous defensive plays directly led to the Dodgers’ five-run fifth-inning rally in Game 5. The Yankees superstars did everything in their power to prove that Kelly and the Dodgers’ scouting report was entirely correct and ended up implode when even the slightest pressure was put on them.

In contrast, the Dodgers were focused on fundamentals. This difference is most evident on Mookie Betts’ RBI single in Game 5. Betts hit a weak ground ball to first and Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo went for it and returned it to first. Pitcher Garret Cole didn’t go first, and by then it was too late for Rizzo to pick up speed on his way to the bag. Although the play was routine, Betts never gave up and sprinted to first to beat Rizzo, bringing in a run and sparking the Dodgers’ comeback.

It’s pretty simple: The Dodgers focused on doing all the little things right. This increased the chances that the Yankees would make mistakes. Although it seemed like the Yankees had a new lease on life in Games 4 and 5, they ultimately proved to be the architects of their own defeat.

Ignoring fundamentals results in poor play, which is simply unacceptable for a World Series team. The Dodgers knew they were the better team and didn’t have the championship to prove it. To be more competitive in the future, the Yankees need to get back to basics and improve their fundamentals. While this may be a tough pill to swallow for their superstars, it’s a necessary step forward.