Morning Sports Update
“Da Yankees lose!”
David Ortiz at a Red Sox game at Fenway Park in Sept. 2026. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
October 8, 2026 | 10:44 AM
3 minutes to read
David Ortiz savored the Yankees’ 2026 downfall: David Ortiz has been getting under the skin of Yankees fans for more than two decades, and it doesn’t appear he has any interest in stopping.
Ortiz, now an MLB analyst for Fox Sports, relished the Yankees’ season-ending 4-3 loss to the Rays in the Bronx on Wednesday night as Tampa Bay completed the 3-0 ALDS sweep. He even toasted to it on the postgame show while welcoming New York players, once again, to the fictitious offseason destination of “Chilligan’s Island.”
After spending much of his playing career earning a reputation as a force to counteract Yankee dominance, Ortiz has successfully spread his “Da Yankees Lose” catchphrase to a new generation of players.
In 2025, it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from the Blue Jays’ clubhouse.
In 2026, it was Rays star Junior Caminero, who couldn’t seem to stop uttering the words.
The interesting dynamic in the last few years has been that Ortiz celebrates the end of the Yankees’ season — the 27-time champions have not won the World Series since 2009 — alongside former New York greats (and Red Sox rivals) Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.
And beyond the gimmicks and jokes, the trio eventually did have a more serious conversation about the Yankees’ comparative title drought. Jeter and Rodriguez shared their perspectives as former New York players. Ortiz shared his as a former rival.
“I never played for the Yankees, but I competed a lot against the Yankees,” said Ortiz. “There’s one thing that I can see missing from the Yankees. It is culture.
“There are a lot of little things that in the long run, they start catching up, and those things never happened when you guys were there,” Ortiz added to his colleagues.
Since Ortiz arrived in Boston in 2003, the Red Sox have outpaced their American League East rivals in World Series titles, 4-1.
And as a final insult to the Yankees, the Rays sang along to “New York, New York” from the visitors’ clubhouse.
Scores and schedules:
Tonight, the Bruins host the Utah Mammoth at 7 p.m.
Also tonight, the Celtics play the Cavaliers in Cleveland in a preseason game at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, the Revolution host the Seattle Sounders at 7:30 p.m.
And on Sunday, the Patriots play the Raiders at Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
The back page after the Yankees’ season ended: The New York Post unsurprisingly focused on the fan interference for its headline following the Yankees’ season-ending Game 3 loss.
On this day: In 2018, Brock Holt hit for the cycle (going 4-for-6 with 5 RBIs) in Game 3 of the ALDS. The Red Sox crushed the Yankees 16-1 to take a 2-1 series lead. Boston would go on to win the World Series.
Daily highlight: The NBA is back, albeit preseason action, so enjoy this Scoot Henderson block.
Hayden Bird
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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