Jon Berti can’t escape the Dodgers.
The ex-Yankees infielder — who expressed his frustrations with Los Angeles’ disrespect toward his former team after some critical World Series blunders — opened the door for a Dodgers rally on Tuesday morning in his first game with the Cubs.
Berti, who mostly played third base for the Yankees, made the start for Chicago at second base in the season opener in Japan.
In the top of the fifth inning in a 1-1 ballgame, Berti made a crucial mistake when he sailed his throw over the first baseman on a potential inning-ending double play.
The wild throw allowed Shohei Ohtani to score and it kept the inning alive for the Dodgers as they went on to score one more run in the frame on their way to a 4-1 victory.
It was the Dodgers’ first meaningful game since beating the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series — in which the Bombers blew a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning thanks to several critical fielding mistakes.
The Dodgers spent a portion of their victory tour mocking the Yankees’ fundamentals.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a World Series-winning team talk as badly as they did about the World Series-losing team,” Berti said in February on “Foul Territory.”
“It felt like we were being disrespected to the point of we didn’t even belong in the World Series.”
Berti played in five postseason games for the Yankees as they topped the Royals and Guardians on their way to the World Series, but was kept off the Fall Classic roster.
Berti will have a chance at redemption on Wednesday when the Cubs and Dodgers run it back for Game 2 of the Tokyo Series.
