And That Happened: LCS Edition

Angels 5, Yankees 4: Girardi, on the decision to replace Dave Robertson with Alfredo Aceves:

Joe Girardi: The bullpen goes up to eight. Look, right across the board, eight, eight, eight and…

Beat Reporter: Oh, I see. And most managers only use the number of relievers they actually need?

Joe Girardi: Exactly.

Beat Reporter: Does that mean it’s better? Is the bullpen any better if you use eight pitchers instead of seven?

Joe Girardi: Well, it’s one better, isn’t it? It’s not seven. You see, most blokes, you know, will be pitching seven. You’re on seven here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you’re on seven in your bullpen. Where can you go from there? Where?

Beat Reporter: I don’t know.

Joe Girardi: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?

Beat Reporter: Put in your eighth pitcher.

Joe Girardi: Eight. Exactly. One better.

Beat Reporter: Why don’t you just use your best reliever seventh, and make seven be the top number and finish the game with him?

Joe Girardi: [pause] This bullpen goes to eight.

Phillies 5, Dodgers 4: Um, L.A.? You’re supposed to have the good bullpen. Bruntlett scored the tying run, but let us all remember that it was Matt Stairs who drew the walk that called for a pinch runner to begin with. Matt Stairs is the best. 3-1 Phillies. I hate to cut this short, but I have a long day of “See! I told U! No 1 believed in us! We’re the champs, dood! Your stupid 4 picking the Dooshers to win anything. Get a new job” comments over a the Blue Network. And they’ll still come when I write a piece talking about just how sharp the Phillies are right now, and how well-managed and confident they are and everything.


17 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Adam
14 years ago

As a father, it’s your responsibility to NEVER admit you don’t know something, even when you clearly don’t.  “Dad, why is the sky blue?”  “Because the color of the ocean is reflected in the sky.” So when I got, “Dad, why is he taking Robertson out?”  I toyed with “Because he bet on the Angels” or “He forgot how many times he had visited the mound”, and I sincerely wish I would have thought of Craig’s “He wanted everyone to get a turn”.  Instead, a childhood ended last night. (ok, he’s 16, but give me some dramatic license.)  “I don’t know, son.  I just don’t know.”

Joe
14 years ago

I wasn’t watching at the time:  why did Girardi bring in (lefty) Damaso Marte to pitch to Figgins (one batter) to end the 7th, then replace him with (lefty) Phil Coke to pitch to Abreu (one batter) to start the 8th?

Adam
14 years ago

I don’t know, Joe.  I just don’t know.

(Not That) Tom
14 years ago

I’ve told them a hundred times: put Mariano Rivera first and Puppet Show last.

YankeesfanLen
14 years ago

Since it’s almost 11 AM EDT and I haven’t seen this ATH on the Blue Network, I’ll take it that this post is for mature audiences only, or you were reserving the aforementioned server space for the spitball segment.
Good choice, Craig, it’s nine more hours til the game.

Daniel
14 years ago

Also, in a valiant effort to pile on, no matter what happens in the rest of the series, the Yankees are not handling the Angels “fairly easily.” 

Some great baseball all around, though!

RP
14 years ago

The Dodgers wish that was the final score, Craig.

I wonder if the two-out, game-winning extra base hit in the ninth to win 5-4 qualifies as some sort of revenge by the A’s distant cousins for 21 years ago.

Mode:Theif and Lair
14 years ago

Re:(NT) Tom

ding, ding. we have a winner.

TL
14 years ago

If I have any energy left after griping about the Yankees offense I’ll try to get worked up over the bullpen management. But I have a feeling the offense will do me in.

Jeremy
14 years ago

A twelve-inch high model of Stonehenge then descended from the ceiling behind Girardi…

Kevin S.
14 years ago

Even Kay and Singletary were criticizing him.  You know it was a bad decision when the YES men won’t be yes men.

TC
14 years ago

For the record, I would never hold your obvious NL East biases against you.  I, for one, would never, ever pick the Braves to win anything.  This said, I was at this game (hello, wedding present!) and it was everyone you could ask for in a ballgame.  Other than short, of course.  LOVED IT.

APBA Guy
14 years ago

I’ve been waiting for the bullpen mismanagement to catch up to Girardi. I know his guys are conditioned to certain roles and situations and all, but if the game is on the line and Aceves is your pitcher, twice, vs Ervin Santana, you will lose.

Nick
14 years ago

You do yourself a disservice by reading and responding to idiot commenters, Craig.

Michael Caragliano
14 years ago

Jeremy beat me to it, sorta… eight is the new eleven.

YankeesfanLen
14 years ago

There are so many Items of Idiocy to pin on Joe (“Put me in coach” “OK”) Girardi from last night.
My personal favorite is- it was a long ball night for the team.  I think I picked this up by the eighth after Jeter (?!), ARod, and Damon had all the runs on singletons.  Matsui gets on, replaced by Gardner whom we somehow convinced has to steal second NOW NOW NOW on a 0-1 count. Two pitches later, home run, where is Gardner? Oh, what are you doing in the dugout?
Joe, you don’t play EVERYONE you play your BEST!
Since Joe is -2 WAR, still Yankees in 6. Sigh.

Joe
14 years ago

It’s like, how much more black could the 11th inning be?  And the answer is none.  None more black.