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The Atlanta Braves may be underdogs against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Derek Jeter's postgame question suggested he might not realize they still believe they can win it all.
After dropping Game 1 of their National League Division Series in Los Angeles on Saturday, the Braves bounced back with a Game 2 victory on Sunday night, seizing home-field advantage in the process. Suddenly, the possibility of Atlanta dethroning the two-time defending World Series champions became very real.
Outfielder Michael Harris II powered the Braves in Game 2, smacking a triple and crossing the plate for the go-ahead run. Following the win, Harris appeared on the Fox Sports postgame show, where Jeter inquired about his approach to the series.
Jeter asked Harris: "Your mindset, your mentality, is it you guys want to play the spoiler? Or you're just not necessarily thinking about the Dodgers?"
The Hall of Famer continued: "I just want to ask this question: we're talking about mindset, coming into the series, it seems like the whole world, all they are talking about is the Los Angeles Dodgers going for a three-peat. And you guys sort of just seem to fly under the radar. Your mindset, your mentality, is it you guys want to play the spoiler? Or you're just not necessarily thinking about the Dodgers? You're just out there trying to prove to the rest of the world that you have the best team in baseball?"
The phrasing struck many as odd and cumbersome. Was Jeter genuinely asking Harris about playing spoiler just two games into the NLDS? And does Jeter truly believe the Braves are merely in the series to play spoiler? The term "playing spoiler" implies the Braves cannot win a championship of their own and are only trying to prevent the Dodgers from capturing a third consecutive title. That notion is absurd.
Naturally, the Braves are focused on winning their own championship, not simply playing defense to stop the Dodgers. Perhaps Jeter doesn't grasp the concept of playing spoiler because he was always chasing titles with the Yankees. One can only imagine how Jeter would have reacted if Mike Francesa or Chris Russo had asked him about playing spoiler during any of his playoff runs with New York. Although, his response might have resembled the Jeterian answer Harris provided.
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