Legendary New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter has fired back over disparaging comments about the World Series from current major league stars, such as his successor, Aaron Judge.
After Judge declared the World Baseball Classic (WBC) to be a ‘bigger’ event than the Fall Classic, Jeter gave his authoritative comparison of the two competitions on Tuesday.
‘I think the people that say it’s bigger than the World Series never played in a World Series,’ the five-time MLB champion said during FS1’s pregame show before Venezuela beat Team USA in the WBC final.
Judge did play in the 2024 World Series, which his Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in an atmosphere he now sees as underwhelming compared to the 2026 WBC.
‘I’ll say, [the WBC has] been bigger,’ Judge told reporters earlier this week. ‘The World Series I was in versus the crowd here and the one we had against Mexico, it’s bigger and better than the World Series… The passion that these fans have representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there’s nothing like it.’
For his part, Jeter has played in the WBC twice but insists the World Series stage means more because it comes at the end of a 162-game season. The WBC, on the other hand, serves as a pre-season tournament at a time when hitters and pitchers are still far from midseason form.
Legendary New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter has fired back over disparaging comments about the World Series from current major league stars, including his successor Aaron Judge
Judge told reporters earlier this week that the WBC felt ‘bigger’ than the World Series
‘I think people are always trying to compare what’s bigger,’ Jeter said. ‘It’s completely different. When you retire, they ask, “How many championships did you win?” for a reason. Playing in a World Series, going through a 162-game schedule plus the postseason, is difficult to do.
‘Doesn’t take anything away from the WBC,’ Jeter continued. ‘It is an absolute honor, I’ve done it a couple of times, it’s an honor to wear the USA across your chest. How this tournament has grown over the last 20 years is impressive.’
Jeter did have a few nice things to say about the WBC.
‘This really unites fans. I remember playing for the US, running into Boston and them telling me, ‘Hey, I hate the Yankees, but I’m going to enjoy rooting for you the next two weeks.” So it doesn’t take anything away from the WBC [but] it’s completely different.’
Judge wasn’t the only major leaguer to disparage the World Series in favor of the WBC.
Seattle Mariners centerfielder and Dominican star Julio Rodriguez said ‘winning the World Baseball Classic would be top of the list’ as far as career accomplishments are concerned.
