Paul O'Neill got under Reds fans' skin after Yankees' sloppy extra-inning loss

When Chase Burns was barreling through the Yankees' lineup like a hot knife through bad batters early in Tuesday's game, who knew that it would eventually be a game that New York let get away?

Unfortunately, that's how it went down. The Yankees went down silently after blowing a 3-0 lead in what became road extra-innings game. This is going to sound wildly out of character, but they lost it. I know.

While the metaphorical confetti was falling, Yankees announcers Michael Kay and Paul O'Neill pontificated about the slop they'd just witnessed, an abject giveaway by the road team and a disservice to Carlos Rodón, who'd been brilliant through 88 pitches before an ill-advised "heat check" by Aaron Boone.

O'Neill made an off-hand comment during Cincinnati's celebration at home plate that, after the fundamentals both sides showed off in extras, nobody really deserved to win that one. Apparently, pointing out such things is sacrilege in Cincy, and salty Reds fans fist-pumped at the victory by cry-laughing at O'Neill's commentary, proving that he irked them just a little bit.

Paul O'Neill says neither Yankees nor Reds deserved to win Tuesday night's extra-inning slop

Congrats, Cincinnati. You did it. You won. But ... O'Neill's got a point.

Aaron Judge popped up with the bases loaded, the Yankees' remarkably hitless streak continued in extras, and their only run was scored on a wild pitch. They hardly exerted any force on the Reds. Jazz Chisholm, who couldn't afford to get ejected with the Yankees under duress, did exactly that; the booth expanded on their negative feedback for Chisholm, too, for what it's worth.

Cincinnati took that Judge-flopping momentum into the bottom of the 10th and spat on it, though, as Santiago Espinal failed to get a bunt down — or do much of anything — setting up a very Yankees-like inning after a victory had been gifted to them on a silver platter. In the 11th, Elly De La Cruz failed to advance to third base on a single in the gap as the winning run, instead believing the game had been won. You have to admit that O'Neill did have a point about cleanliness, even if you didn't like hearing it.

Remember that O'Neill, an Ohio boy, was a Reds World Champion before he was a four-time victor with the Yankees. Cincinnati raised him, but the Yankees coveted him and made him feel wanted as he fell out of favor in Lou Piniella's Monarchy. It's almost like when John Smoltz calls a nationally televised Yankee game. If it seems like O'Neill is against the Reds ... it's probably because he has personal experience that made it so!

The Reds have won the series, but they haven't won the war. There's still time for the Yankees to fight back and — oops, they just fumbled that too, probably.