From the early 2000s Minnesota Twins to the 2005 champion Chicago White Sox to the 2014 Red Sox (ok, that stint was kind of funny), catcher AJ Pierzynski always found himself bristling when he played the Yankees.
The pugnacious backstop brought an edge to the game, which his fans loved and his opponents wished they could mute. Now retired, Pierzynski's a lead dog at both FOX MLB and Foul Territory, bringing his unique (and unfiltered) perspective to the airwaves. Crucially, he is Not John Smoltz, which makes him a solid listen.
On Friday, he let that filter down like we've come to expect, following up beloved ex-Yankees third baseman Todd Frazier's congratulations for an AL East clinch with a peek behind the curtain at FOX.
"I work at FOX, trust me. They'd LOVE the Yankees in the World Series," Pierzynski noted. "If they could get Yankees-Dodgers, it's the dream matchup. It's their holy grail."
Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series would be FOX's Dream Matchup
The Yankees and Dodgers slugging it out with Smoltz on the call reminiscing about how Mike Remlinger could've been better than Mariano Rivera, actually, if Rivera hadn't been touched by the hand of God? Riveting. Bring it to us.
When the season began, the Dodgers were thought to be some kind of unstoppable force, as well as the team that sealed the Yankees' fate when they signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto, thanks to Shohei Ohtani's presence and creative accounting. Now, though? Like Frazier said, Aaron Judge entered another stratosphere this year. Juan Soto's been remarkably impactful. Giancarlo Stanton, fittingly, entered the postseason hot and spurred last night's clinch. Somehow, the Yankees have the horses, while the Dodgers have seemingly run out of pitchers.
Don't tell Pierzynski's bosses, but we're not sure the Dodgers would even be favored in this dream hypothetical any longer. Let's make it happen, though, just so we know for sure.