For me, Monday’s ALCS loss was the most frustrating playoff defeat since the Bug Game. And only some of my frustration had to do with the Yankees being completely flummoxed by Cliff Lee (so much for my thoughts that he could be beatable last night, eh?) Top it off with Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, my fave NFL player, getting hurt on Monday Night Football, and it was a completely miserable evening for this Squawker.
I could have lived with just a little (okay, maybe a lot) of grumpiness about the Yankees getting shut down by Cliff Lee, with Andy Pettitte pitching a very good game. But what bugged me even more about the game was the way Joe Girardi left David Robertson in the game to get shelled. The young reliever clearly didn’t have it last night. Virtually everybody in the park (who started fleeing for the exits as soon as Roberston started giving up hits) knew that, except for Girardi, who left him in like a lamb to the slaughter to give up five runs, five hits, and a walk. The Yanks ended up with their worst postseason shutout loss ever, and Robertson ended up having a very good young career so far marred with this disaster.
It reminded me of when Joe Torre left Chase Wright in to give up four homers in a row to the Red Sox.
You just don’t do that to young pitchers. It isn’t right. You tell me there was no other pitcher Girardi could have brought in to rescue the ballgame (and the reliever’s psyche) before Robertson imploded?
For that matter. why didn’t Mariano Rivera start the ninth? If the Yankees were still down only 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth, it literally would have been a different ballgame. So why didn’t Girardi go to Mariano Rivera? He told reporters:
Well, Mo is a guy that sometimes we use multiple innings in a situation that if we are ahead. Our bullpen had been really, really good up until that point. Boone had done his job. Robby had done his job. We were down 2‑0 and if you bring in Mo, you may not have him available for multiple innings tomorrow, if you want to use him. So we went with guys that were throwing well in a situation where we were down.
Even if he wanted to save Mo for a better situation, it was completely inexcusable of Girardi, to leave Robertson in, and take the fans out of the game like that. I’m peeved, and even Squawker Jon felt bad for Robertson!
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