Alex Rodriguez seemed to steal Mike Francesa's analysis

Whatever Fox pays Alex Rodriguez to analyze the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, Mike Francesa could deserve a cut.

After three disheartening losses to the Dodgers to open the World Series, the Yankees' bats came to life on Tuesday night as New York won 11-4, forcing a Game 5 in New York on Wednesday. The Dodgers are still in a comfortable position, leading the series 3-1, but as Francesa notes, a loss in Game 5 could add even more tension.

Tonight is an upset for the Dodgers. The pressure begins when they leave the Bronx without the trophy.

— Mike Francesa (@MikeFrancesa) October 30, 2024

“Tonight is an upset for the Dodgers. The pressure begins when they leave the Bronx without the trophy,” Francesa posted on social media immediately after the game, at 11:28 p.m. ET to be exact.

Seventeen minutes later, Alex Rodriguez was on Fox's postgame set with Kevin Burkhardt, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter and had a strangely similar thought to Francesa.

15 minutes later…🤔 pic.twitter.com/ivQhqN5zdg

– Awful Announcement (@awfulanncreasing) October 30, 2024

“Tonight Kevin is a nuisance for the LA Dodgers. The pressure starts when they get on that plane without the Commissioner's Trophy,” Rodriguez said.

I mean, come on. He didn't even try! Why not just attribute the quote to the radio Hall of Famer? And if you don't, at least try to take it into your own hands. This was not a groundbreaking analysis; there were other ways to make a similar point.

To cover our bases, here are a few options. The first is that A-Rod and Francesa happen to think alike – really alike. The second possibility might be that the longtime friends and like-minded baseball fans texted after the game and asked A-Rod if he could use Francesa's “trouble” quote on air. It's also possible that a producer fed A-Rod this line. And finally, we have our most likely scenario: A-Rod saw Francesa's social media post and accepted it.

Francesa's “Trouble for the Dodgers” post came at 11:28 a.m. The Fox postgame show began at 11:31 a.m. A-Rod debuted his “Trouble for the LA Dodgers” quote at 11:45 a.m.

Is it a big deal that A-Rod uses a humble quote from Francesa without attribution? Not really. But it's on-brand.

[MLB on Fox]