Angels Keep Series Alive as Yankees Over-manage

You’re damned if you and you’re damned if you don’t. That’s the life of a professional baseball manager, and that’s what New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi faces today.

In yesterday’s ALCS Game 3, the Angels came back from an early 2-run deficit to defeat the Yankees in extra innings and are now only down 2 games to 1 in the series. But the big commotion is coming out of New York City, where many baseball fans and analysts are questioning Girardi’s use of the pitching staff.

In the bottom of the 11th, with the score tied, Girardi took out David Robertson, despite right-hander Robertson having recorded 2 outs with nobody on base. Girardi brought in Alfredo Aceves, another right-hander, to face Howie Kendrick, but Kendrick got on base. Then Aceves faced Jeff Mathis, who would hit the walk-off double to give the Los Angeles Angels the win.

Why did Girardi take Robertson out of the game with 2 outs, nobody on base, and a right-handed batter coming to the plate?

He says he was playing the matchups. Kendrick, the batter Aceves first pitched to, was a poor breaking ball hitter, and Aceves’ specialty was his breaking ball. While that may seem like an arbitrary thing to do, it was what the numbers that suggested Girardi do that, and he did it. No, it did not work out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was the wrong move.

However, while I agree that it wasn’t the wrong move, I don’t agree with the move even though I understand its merits. Robertson looked good on the mound, he had gotten two easy outs, and he very well could have pitched to a right-handed hitter as well as Aceves could have. The problem with going by the numbers in a situation like that is that there are greater factors at hand. Here you have Robertson on the mound, fully warmed up and in a playoff-mindset. But then you bring in a guy from the bullpen, on short-notice, in a really big spot; this despite the fact that both pitchers are right-handers. I understand making a pitching move to get a righty against a righty and vice-versa, but you don’t make a change just for the sake of making a change when the incumbent pitcher throws with the same hand. That’s over managing.

Listen, I’m not here to kill Girardi, because there are more than enough people out there who will do that. But I think he will definitely learn a lesson here. The numbers are one thing in baseball, and they are very important.

But in the postseason, when the chips are on the line, sometimes you have to take outside factors into account, some of which aren’t all detailed in your little matchup book. So while I’m not going to criticize Girardi for making the wrong move when he had good reason to do it, I will criticize him for overlooking the situation he was putting his pitcher into and how that might supersede the numbers. But experience will teach him that, and Girardi will learn from last night’s debacle. I really doubt that he will make a similar move throughout the rest of these playoffs.

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