Shohei Ohtani's ex-Dodgers teammate slams Nestor Cortes Jr.'s 'better team' comment despite Yankees' World Series loss

Shohei Ohtani's former Dodgers teammate, Brent Honeywell, slammed Nestor Cortes Jr.'s comment after the latter claimed that the New York Yankees were better despite losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Honeywell dismissed the comment saying the Yankees were fortunate to avoid getting swept by the Dodgers in the Fall Classic.

The Dodgers had taken a 3-0 lead in the Fall Classic after winning Game 1 with a 10th inning walk-off grand slam given up by Nestor Cortes Jr. after being brought in as a reliever. The Yankees avoided a sweep after claiming Game 4 and had taken a commanding lead in Game 5, but they imploded defensively and lost the World Series on home turf.

Honeywell was on the Dodgers' postseason roster and made his World Series debut in the Game 4 loss. Honeywell was a guest on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast on Friday. He offered his thoughts on the comments from Nestor Cortes Jr. on the show.

"I’ll tell you this, they weren’t the best team," Honeywell said. "On paper, they weren’t the best team. Can say it with a straight face. They were not the best team. We were the best team. We were the better team."

"I said it the whole time, 'Dodgers in four.' I was cranking that out in the clubhouse," he added. "Maybe if I don’t give up 12 [runs], maybe there’s a chance [to sweep]. But they weren’t the best team."

Honeywell was released by the World Series champions at the end of the year and is a free agent. Cortes Jr. was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers during the offseason in return for Devin Williams.

Shohei Ohtani reflects on his first spring training game

Shohei Ohtani won his third MVP title last year (Image Source: IMAGN)

Shohei Ohtani made his Spring Training debut of the year when the Dodgers took on his former team, the Los Angeles Angels, in their Cactus League game on Friday. The reigning National League MVP marked the occasion with a leadoff home run against Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi in the first inning of the contest.

Ohtani spoke to the media after the Dodgers completed a 6-5 victory over the Angels.

"Regardless of the results, I think the biggest takeaway was that I got through my three at-bats without any issues," Shohei Ohtani said through his interpreter Will Ireton. "Physically, I felt really good."

"It's a constant feedback between how I feel and how the swing actually looks," he added. "Today was pretty good. I felt like it was pretty consistent."

Shohei Ohtani is closing in on his return to a major league mound as he continues his rehab from an elbow surgery in 2023. Ohtani also had shoulder surgery during the offseason after hurting himself during a stolen base attempt in the World Series.