Former Yankees manager Joe Torre says the quiet part out loud with Dodgers comments

Many baseball fans and analysts have recently drawn a parallel between the current Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees dynasty of the late 1990s. It’s not a reach to compare the two. With two more wins over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Dodgers would become the first team since those Yankees to win consecutive World Series. Amid their success, the Dodgers — like the '90s Yankees — have attracted droves of haters. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ recent, viral (and already iconic) joke that his team is “ruining baseball” drew a ton of mixed reactions, but if there’s one voice worth listening to on the matter, it’s former Yankees skipper Joe Torre.

To the delight of Yankees fans, Torre has maintained a presence around the franchise. He still attends games at Yankee Stadium here and there, and he’s never afraid to share his opinion on new MLB talking points.

When it comes to whether or not the Dodgers are “ruining baseball”, Torre didn’t side with the critics.

Yankees legend Joe Torre doesn’t believe the Dodgers are ruining baseball

Speaking with KTLA 5 News, Torre shared his thoughts on the star-studded Dodgers.

“To me, the Dodgers have done things right,” Torre said. “I can’t say they’ve been bad for baseball or (are) ruining baseball because people pay their way (to see) how good they are and how well they play.”

Torre’s further remarks also suggested that he admires the work Roberts has done at the helm of the Dodgers.

“I can tell you one thing,” Torre said. “When you’ve got a team that quote-unquote is ‘supposed to win,’ that’s a lot of pressure that the manager has to deal with because expectation does add that little layer of pressure for the team and the manager.”

It's almost like ... the Yankees, who are expected to win year in and year out with a roster nearly as talented as LA's continues to fall short while the Dodgers have reached five World Series in nine years. There's your answer, everybody! One big spender is attracting more talent and getting the results on the field with the right equation, and the other is content with maintaining stability and a guise of "being in contention."

With the 2025 World Series now tied at 2-2, pressure on Roberts and the Dodgers is sure to increase as LA enters somewhat of a must-win situation in Game 5, which will be the last game of their season at home. Traveling to Toronto down 3-2 in the series — on the verge of elimination — would be a tall mountain to climb for the Dodgers, but then again, if there’s any team talented enough to pull off a comeback in that situation, it’s Shohei Ohtani and Co.

It’s been a wildly entertaining World Series thus far, which is another reminder that the Dodgers are, indeed, good for baseball, because they are fun to watch. After all, star players put fans in the seats and eyes on the TV. The Blue Jays aren’t lacking in star power, either, by the way. 

Game 5 promises to be another classic, and while these two clubs fight with all their might to get within one win of eternal glory, no one watching will be thinking that baseball is ruined.