Chris Taylor‘s Los Angeles Angels concluded their three-game home series against the New York Yankees with a 1-0 loss on Wednesday night.
Wednesday was only Taylor’s third game with the Halos since signing with the club on Monday. The 34-year-old was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 18 after spending nearly a decade with the Boys in Blue.
It was only six months ago that Taylor became arguably the most hated Dodgers player on the roster in Yankees fans’ eyes, after he trash-talked the Bronx Bombers following the 2024 World Series.
When discussing New York’s fifth inning defensive meltdown from Game 5 of the Fall Classic, Taylor claimed that the Yankees “s— down their leg.”
Trailing in the series 3-1, New York had a 5-0 lead at home going into the frame. What followed will be talked about among Yankees fans for years.
AL MVP center fielder Aaron Judge dropped a routine line drive for his first error of the season, 2023 Gold Glove shortstop Anthony Volpe followed with a throwing error and later, 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole and four-time Gold Glove first baseman Anthony Rizzo miscommunicated on a groundball hit between them.
The Dodgers won the game 7-6 and clinched their second championship in five years.
Taylor made his comments on teammate Mookie Betts‘ podcast, which aired less than one month after the playoffs ended.
The veteran utilityman spoke with Brendan Kuty of The Athletic on Wednesday and said that he had no regrets regarding his controversial words.
Chris Taylor ‘Didn’t Mean Any Offense,’ Was ‘Kind of Stating the Fact’
Taylor not only didn’t apologize, but didn’t see any issue with his criticism.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I was saying anything super critical, to me. I think if you would have asked them, they would have said the same thing. That’s kind of how I felt about it,” the 2017 NLCS MVP said, per Kuty. “I didn’t mean any offense by it. To me, it was just like, I was kind of stating the fact.”
Taylor also told the insider that he hadn’t seen the social media aftermath from his words.
“Obviously, like, I guess we were caught up in the celebration a little bit, too, at that point,” Taylor said. “I think all of us were maybe speaking a little more freely than we would in a typical interview.”
“But I don’t take back what I said. I think I was just telling the truth. I didn’t mean any offense by it. I guess you could say, I could see how people would take it personally. I could see how that would maybe put a chip on their shoulder. But, to me, it kind of was what it was,” he added.
Taylor Was Recently Released by Dodgers, Signed With Angels
Taylor entered 2025 in the final year of his four-year, $60 million contract with the Dodgers.
He was traded to the team in June 2016 after spending the first two-plus seasons with the Seattle Mariners but playing in only 86 games. Taylor helped the Dodgers reach the World Series in 2017 with his NLCS MVP honors, but has shown his most value through his versatility in the field.
The former fifth-round draft pick appeared in 1,007 regular season contests with the Dodgers and suited up at every position except catcher, pitcher and first base, with at least 100 appearances at second base (170), shortstop (214), left field (379) and center field (216).
Taylor earned his only career All-Star nod in 2021, finishing that season with a career-high 73 RBI, as well as 20 home runs and 13 stolen bases.
It was speculated that his spot on the roster could be in jeopardy entering the spring, due to the signing of three-time Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) Golden Glove Award winner and utility player Hyeseong Kim. The 26-year-old South Korean opened the season in the minors, however, and Taylor played in 28 games before his release.
Former Dodgers All-Star Defends Profane Trash-Talking of Yankees After World Series