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April 20, 2009I don’t even know where to start with this one. The suspect umpiring crew all weekend long coming to a head in the bottom of the 7th? That absolute joke of a stadium with a right field porch so short Duane Kuiper could hit 20 homers in a season? A spectacular pitching performance ruined by over-managing? A bullpen that yet again failed to hold a lead? A bright sun that fooled a Tribe outfielder to the tune of three runs?
Let’s rewind.
If I would have told you that Carl Pavano would go into Yankee Stadium, where he is despised by both Yankee fans and former teammates and toss six innings of one run, four hit ball, would you have asked me to take a drug test to see what I was on? Well, that is exactly what the “American Idle” (as the NY Papers dubbed him) did. Pavano was borderline masterful is his dissection of the Yankee lineup. He stayed away and down with his pitches most of the game and was painting the outside corner. This was exactly the kind of start Eric Wedge was dreaming of for his over-worked bullpen. Even with a 16 run lead Saturday, Fausto Carmona could only muster six innings because of a high pitch count.
Which brings us to Wedge’s decision to yank Pavano after just 89 pitches and six innings. Yes, the New York seventh inning started with lefties Robinson Cano (0-2 against Pavano) and Hideki Matsui (0-2 and hitting .179 entering the game), but Wedge’s reliever, Rafael Perez, came in sporting 14.14 ERA, walking nine, and allowing nine runs in seven innings. If ever there was a game to keep your starter in, it was this one. Not once in the previous 12 games had a Tribe starter gone more than six innings. Their starter had been great all game and had a very manageable pitch count of 89.
When asked about the decision to pull Pavano for Perez, Wedge said “That was enough, as hard as he had to work that final inning.” Maybe Pavano begged out of the game and The Grinder was protecting him. Who knows. Its impossible to read Wedge. All I know is There would have been no harm in having Perez ready and allowing Pavano to start the inning.
This was a game that was there for the taking. Perez had been so shaky thus far that bringing him in was a big risk. Even in his last time out – Friday – he was given a nine run lead, and he walked three and allowed an earned run, throwing 41 pitches. That was supposed to be his confidence booster? So in came Raffy Left to face the two lefties and hold a 3-1 lead (thanks to homers by Shin-Soo Choo and Ryan Garko). Unfortunately for Wedge, Perez was a failure yet again. Cano greeted him with a leadoff double and was driven home by a Matsui single. Just like that, the tying run was on first with nobody out. Wedge yanked Perez in favor of Righty Jensen Lewis. Jenny had been shaky on his own, but still has shown signs of being the key bridge to Kerry Wood this year. The hope was he could hold this one run cushion.
After a failed bunt attempt by Cody Ransom, Yankee Manager Joe Girardi pulled back catcher Jose Molina for pinch hitter Jorge Posada. What happened next will eat at me for a long while, and all I am is a fan. Posada hit what looked like a pop-up to right towards that joke of a right-field short porch and Tribe Rightfielder Trevor Crowe made his way to camp under it. He timed his jump perfectly, and as his glove was about to grab the ball, a fan reached over the wall (yes, I said OVER the wall because that is what happened), made contact with both Crowe’s glove and the ball, and the ball bounced off of the top of the wall back into play. First-base umpire Tom Hallion signaled home run, even though the ball never actually went over the fence. An eight-plus minute discussion went on with the umpires and they eventually went to the replay booth. While all of us sitting at home could clearly see Crowe being interfered with and the ball never actually going over the fence, crew-chief Jerry Crawford ruled it a home run. Calls like that always go the Yankees way, especially in their home stadium.
“If no one is out there, I catch the ball,” said Crowe after the game. “My glove was over the wall and above it and under the fan that was there. I didn’t take into account that I’d have to get above the fan to get the ball. I watched the replay and it looked like his glove was outstretched on top of mine. It all happened so fast.”
Here is where my second beef with Wedge came today. I know if I felt like my team was getting the screws put to it, I’d have blown a gasket at the umpires and get tossed just to defend my team at a minimum. While I respect that fact that “Grindmaster Flash” is an even keeled guy who is the same win or lose, now was the time to light a fire under his team. OK, so I figured maybe after the game he’d rip the umpires to the media. Nope.
“They said the ball hit the fan first beyond the fence,” said Wedge. “I thought Trevor got up and touched it on top of the wall and that’s where the fan’s hand was. The worst case scenario there for us is that it’s a double. I thought it never got on top of the wall where the fan was. My argument was the fan and the glove came together, but the replay, they said it was beyond the fence. They had limited views. They did the best they could.”
Come on Eric. You can do better than that. How about the fact that this crew squeezed Indian pitching all series long (don’t forget Phil Cuzzi’s ever-expanding strike zone on Friday)? Regardless, while Posada’s “home-run” gave the Bronx Bombers a 4-3 lead, the Tribe had their chance to break the game open in the top half of the seventh, but missed a golden opportunity. They loaded the bases with one out on three walks, chasing starter A.J. Burnett. But reliever Jonathan Albaladejo got Mark DeRosa and Victor Martinez on ground-outs and the Tribe rally was killed. A hit by either and we wouldn’t be talking about any controversial ruling by umpires and Pavano most likely stays in the game for the seventh.
Brian Bruney shut down the Tribe 1-2-3 in the eighth and the Yankees came to the bottom half looking for insurance. They would get it against Rafael Betancourt, the only Tribe reliever not named Kerry Wood who seems to be able to get anyone out these days. After “The Realtor” (he was dubbed this a few years back after the Betancourt Realty which presided across the street from my cousin’s condo in Chicago) got the first two out, Nick Swisher doubled, Cano was intentionally walked, Matsui walked, and up came the light-hitting Ransom. He popped a harmless fly ball to left field towards the line. Choo ran towards what looked like an easy third out, but completely lost it in the sun. It bounced two feet to his right for a bases-clearing double. For all intents and purposes, the game was over right there. Yankees 7 Indians 3.
The shame of it all is if not for some questionable managerial decisions and a shaky bullpen, this could have been a four game sweep for the Tribe. I still blame Wedge for Friday’s defeat. He used Betancourt and Perez with a 10-1 lead instead of using guys like Vinnie Chulk and Masa Kobayashi. Then while nursing a 5-3 lead and starter Anthony Reyes totally gassed, The Grinder had no choice but to go to long man Zach Attack Jackson and Joe Smith to get through the sixth (Jackson allowed a solo homer and a double, Smith bailed him out with a two out K of Derek Jeter). In the seventh, without Perez and Betancourt available, he turned to Chulk, who walked two and made the critical throwing error which tied the game at five. Jeter’s eight inning jack off of Lewis sealed the Tribe’s fate during the 6-5 loss.
Today, he yanked a cruising Pavano too early and it cost him dearly.
——
Quick Side Note:
That new stadium should be blown up. Besides the fact that the $500-$2500 sections looked half-empty all weekend, the place is like the early days of Coors Field on steroids. There were 20 homers hit in the four game series. 20. That is ridiculous. Of the 20 homers, 14 were hit to right field where a pop-up and a gust of wind will take a ball over the fence.
Said Jensen Lewis of the Posada game-changing homer: ”It was a pop fly. ‘In any other ballpark in the country, that’s an out. It was a good pitch, and he just got it up in the jet stream. I don’t think numbers lie. Balls that are mis-hit go out, and balls that are hit hard go out. I’m ready to leave here.”
Tim McCarver out it best on Saturday’s Fox broadcast – “If this is happening in April, imagine what it’ll be like in August.”
20 Comments
Listening to Manning and Underwood discuss “the call” yesteday, I find myself wondering what the replay process entails. Do they have all of the views? I know they have cameras for replays in each park, but do they have all of the angles that network TV has? If not, WHY NOT? When we could see clearly from two angles (including the STO HD zoom-box) that the fan reached into the field of play, why can’t the umpires? In short, what’s the point of having the system if you don’t have the best technology? It’d be like buying a sports car with no power steering.
Side note: And, Yankee fan… seriously, you’re 40. What are you doing at a baseball game with your mitt??? I swear, it ought to be a law that if you’re over 12 and trying to get into a baseball game with a mitt, your ticket should be confiscated and you should be barred from the park for one year. What a joke.
Like I said before… Good luck telling a Yankee fan that he or she can’t do something.
If Perez isn’t sent to Triple-A soon, I may lose it….
Cheeseball Chip said on TBS that the umps have all three tv feeds as their disposal. Wedge should have blown a gasket. But, we keep grinding.
I like how ESPN doesn’t acknowledge that this was fan interference. All they say is “the play is reveiwed and upheld”
Wouldnt want to ruffle the feathers of MLB or the mighty Yankees.
That said, I don’t really care considering we gave up 3 more runs in the next inning and wouldve lost anyways.
meanwhile, this was a “Rock-esque” piece in regards to length….
I don’t accept “we gave up 3 more runs in the next inning and would’ve lost anyways.” There’s no telling how things would’ve unfolded had the “home run” not been ruled as such. That kind of thing surely deflates/rattles a team, especially when their manager doesn’t fight for them as he should have (good point, TD).
DP – I disagree about the 40 year old fan bringing a glove. If I were paying $300 for my ticket, I want every chance I can get to get a souvenir, especially in that park where they fly into the stands like crazy…
Wiggles fights little kids for souvenirs…
After this series we should’ve been back into it. BUT, after very questionable managerial decisions (once again) and a terrible bullpen that is already overworked, we split the series.
It was good to see Pavano pitch real well yesterday, if we get outings similar to that all year then Shapiro looks good.
We HAVE to find some sort of answer in the bullpen, I thought it looked strong coming into the year, but not so much. Chulk is throwing meat balls to everyone he comes across. Masa is well we know what he is. Betancourt still hasn’t figured it out again. Raffy left needs to get his head right in AAA. Jensen is ok so far and Wood can’t see the field. Jackson has already pitched way too much this year.
We have the next series with KC coming up, if we can get 2 outta 3 and cut into their division lead then I’ll be happy. But this team better figure it out, start pitching well, and stop grounding out with the bases loaded and RISP.
Disagree with criticism of decision to pull Pavano. I would have done same. It’s April, and a guy with suspect arm strength and who appears to need a serious confidence boost to get his career resuscitated pitched fabulous in a hostile environment for 6 innings, and squeaked out his last inning. You’ve already been guaranteed a series split and you need to determine just how bad your rebuilt bullpen is. It’s mid-April, you’re 3 games back, and if you lose this game, is that a risk you just shouldn’t take? Pavano looks like a temperamental guy, who might go all hang-dog if he implodes at this stage of his career. What if he uses 6 innings/1 run in Yankee Stadium to help him have a productive season? We have to let the Raffie’s pitch and see what they have/don’t have this year. Hindsight is 20/20.
Re Wedge not getting emotional enough, also disagree. That can be taken by his players as a signal to panic.
With the bullpen pitching the way that it does, Im going to go ahead and stick to my point that we wouldve lost anyways.
Ok the team got rattled, but does anyone really think that our bullpen can hold a one run lead through 3 innings?
Harv – its all a process of what happened. Had Perez not failed Wedge, the setiment would probably have been “Perez got his confidence back the bullpen is back on track.” I’m sure that is what Wedge wanted. But it failed and he left himself open to criticism of taking out a guy who only threw 89 pitches.
Nobody respects Wedge’s calm demeanor more than me. One of my favorite things about him is that he is the same every day, win or lose. That said, if ever there was a time to lose your cool, that was it. Send a message.
Any make over the age of 20 who brings a glove or sign to a game is a loser.
Male.
@Nicko, ahh so I have 2 months left, YES!!!! haha
Not only should you not have a glove, if you are lucky enough to catch a ball, you should give it to the nearest youngster within 5 minutes. Hopefully the youngster is your own. if not, find one near you. the only exception is for a historic homerun, and then it should go back to the player or the HOF.
People who display souvenir baseballs at home amuse me to no end.
TD: you almost had me at “pitch count,” which is a valid point, but it shouldn’t be the most important factor, not with Pavano. I don’t think Wedge left himself open to criticism because it didn’t work – and I don’t want my manager making decisions because he worries we’ll be chirping if it doesn’t work. Again, it’s mid-April and the guy last made 100 pitches in a real game … when?
Man, you guys need to grow up less… I’m only 22, but I hope I never stop being excited when I have a chance to catch a ball. If there were a little kid around, I’d probably give it to them (I’ve done it before, I caught a t-shirt at a basketball game and gave it to a kid) but I was still excited to be able to catch it. And if it’s a homer hit by the other team, throw it back (making sure I don’t hit anyone on the field, of course)
Where is the outrage over replay? That was clearly interference. How can that be so easily swept aside? Forget all of the what woulda’s and coulda’s that happened after that.
If replay is not going to be used to get the call right, why use it?
One of the “rules” of instant replay is that arguing a replay call is grounds for immediate ejection. I thought Wedge should’ve blown a gasket on that pathetic call.
Once again, ESPN bows down to the Yankees and MLB.
And now “This media is no longer available due to a copyright claim by MLB Advanced Media.” It probably is best though – I don’t think I could stand watching that again.