Girardi’s Quick Hook Saves the Yankees Season
Going into last night’s game I felt very good about the Yankees chances of beating Minnesota. On paper they had the better lineup and for as good as Ervin Santana was all year for the Twins, the Yanks had the better starter going in the form of Luis Severino. Severino had been masterful all season and is likely to finish in the top 3 in American League Cy Young voting. The only thing that worried me going in was the potential unpredictability of a one game playoff. Baseball is often an unpredictable game and in one game the best team doesn’t always win. Last night the better team did win but they did it in a very unprecedented way. The Yankees used a formula that perhaps only their team is built for.
The good feeling that Yankees fans had going into the game was quickly erased when Brian Dozier took Severino yard on a high fastball to lead off the game. However, my feeling was it’s just a solo homerun. Nothing to worry about. Then things got bad real quickly when after giving up a two run home run, and having runners on second and third with just one out Severino looked to be in grave danger. That’s when Joe Girardi made the move that saved the game and kept the Yankees season alive. Girardi did something that would’ve been almost unthinkable before the game started; he pulled Severino after he’d faced only six batters and retired just one of them.
I’ve often criticized Girardi for having a quick hook and pulling starters when they’ve been cruising along at different points of the season in favor of one of his many closer caliber relievers. However, this time around Girardi’s quick hook turned out to be a stroke of genius and the move that won the Yankees the game. With runners on second and third with one out, another base hit would’ve busted the game open and really have the Yankees in a hole before they even had a chance to bat. Girardi knew that three runs wouldn’t bury his powerful lineup but five off the bat might. So he quickly went to his embarrassment of riches in the bullpen and called on this season’s revelation Chad Green.
Green reenergized the crowd and the team when he killed the Twins rally in its tracks by striking out the next two batters and kept the score at 3-0. The Yankees responded quickly with a strong first inning of their own as they jumped on Twins starter Ervin Santana and put up a three spot of their own, thanks to a Didi Gregorious homerun. After one inning it was 3-3 and basically a new game again. Green then took care of business in the second and the Yankees were able to take their first lead of the game on a Brett Gardner homer.
Green recorded one more outs in the third and left with the bases loaded. Girardi then made another unconventional but great move by brining in David Robertson who normally pitches the seventh or eighth inning. It was a high leverage situation that could be the difference between winning and losing so Girardi was going to bring in his best. Robertson allowed one of the inherited runners to score on a fielders choice but that was it. The Yankees lead was gone but most importantly they weren’t down and little did the Twins know but that would be the end of their scoring for the night.
Santana was out of the game after two innings and it officially became a battle of the bullpens which was always going to favor the Yankees. Minnesota countered by brining in rookie starter Jose Berrios who Greg Bird got to in the third with an RBI single and from there the Yanks wouldn’t look back. Then Aaron Judge lived up to the reputation that he’d built al season by homering in the fourth to build the Yankees lead to 7-4. Meanwhile Robertson continued to do his thing until the bottom of the sixth when he was replaced by Tommy Kahnle with two outs in the inning.
Kahnle picked up right where Robertson left off when he got the last out of the sixth and then didn’t allow a baserunner in the seventh or eighth. Along the way the Yankees tacked on one more run in the eighth before Aroldis Chapman came on in the ninth to nail it down. With Chapman back to his usual dominant self, after early season struggles, the Twins has no chance of a late comeback. Chapman nailed down the win by striking out three batters with a Joe Mauer single mixed in.
The Yankees won and advanced to the AL Division Series to face Cleveland as expected. However the way they did it was completely unexpected. Girardi managed this game perfectly and thanks to his quick thinking in the first the Yankees were able to escape what could’ve been a disaster. Props also have to be given to the Yankees four relievers who combined to pitch 8 2/3 innings giving up just one run on five hits and three walks while striking out 13. Green, Robertson, Kahnle, and Chapman couldn’t have done much better when being used in such an unorthodox manner. Much has been made of how good the Yankees bullpen is and how big of a weapon it can be it the playoffs and that was proven tonight.
This bullpen will continue to be an asset throughout the playoffs but the starters will have to give the Yankees some length so that it doesn’t get worn down. For as many times as I’ve criticized Girardi’s quick hook, last night I will admit, it was a stroke of genius that saved the Yankees season.
The good feeling that Yankees fans had going into the game was quickly erased when Brian Dozier took Severino yard on a high fastball to lead off the game. However, my feeling was it’s just a solo homerun. Nothing to worry about. Then things got bad real quickly when after giving up a two run home run, and having runners on second and third with just one out Severino looked to be in grave danger. That’s when Joe Girardi made the move that saved the game and kept the Yankees season alive. Girardi did something that would’ve been almost unthinkable before the game started; he pulled Severino after he’d faced only six batters and retired just one of them.
I’ve often criticized Girardi for having a quick hook and pulling starters when they’ve been cruising along at different points of the season in favor of one of his many closer caliber relievers. However, this time around Girardi’s quick hook turned out to be a stroke of genius and the move that won the Yankees the game. With runners on second and third with one out, another base hit would’ve busted the game open and really have the Yankees in a hole before they even had a chance to bat. Girardi knew that three runs wouldn’t bury his powerful lineup but five off the bat might. So he quickly went to his embarrassment of riches in the bullpen and called on this season’s revelation Chad Green.
Green reenergized the crowd and the team when he killed the Twins rally in its tracks by striking out the next two batters and kept the score at 3-0. The Yankees responded quickly with a strong first inning of their own as they jumped on Twins starter Ervin Santana and put up a three spot of their own, thanks to a Didi Gregorious homerun. After one inning it was 3-3 and basically a new game again. Green then took care of business in the second and the Yankees were able to take their first lead of the game on a Brett Gardner homer.
Green recorded one more outs in the third and left with the bases loaded. Girardi then made another unconventional but great move by brining in David Robertson who normally pitches the seventh or eighth inning. It was a high leverage situation that could be the difference between winning and losing so Girardi was going to bring in his best. Robertson allowed one of the inherited runners to score on a fielders choice but that was it. The Yankees lead was gone but most importantly they weren’t down and little did the Twins know but that would be the end of their scoring for the night.
Santana was out of the game after two innings and it officially became a battle of the bullpens which was always going to favor the Yankees. Minnesota countered by brining in rookie starter Jose Berrios who Greg Bird got to in the third with an RBI single and from there the Yanks wouldn’t look back. Then Aaron Judge lived up to the reputation that he’d built al season by homering in the fourth to build the Yankees lead to 7-4. Meanwhile Robertson continued to do his thing until the bottom of the sixth when he was replaced by Tommy Kahnle with two outs in the inning.
Kahnle picked up right where Robertson left off when he got the last out of the sixth and then didn’t allow a baserunner in the seventh or eighth. Along the way the Yankees tacked on one more run in the eighth before Aroldis Chapman came on in the ninth to nail it down. With Chapman back to his usual dominant self, after early season struggles, the Twins has no chance of a late comeback. Chapman nailed down the win by striking out three batters with a Joe Mauer single mixed in.
The Yankees won and advanced to the AL Division Series to face Cleveland as expected. However the way they did it was completely unexpected. Girardi managed this game perfectly and thanks to his quick thinking in the first the Yankees were able to escape what could’ve been a disaster. Props also have to be given to the Yankees four relievers who combined to pitch 8 2/3 innings giving up just one run on five hits and three walks while striking out 13. Green, Robertson, Kahnle, and Chapman couldn’t have done much better when being used in such an unorthodox manner. Much has been made of how good the Yankees bullpen is and how big of a weapon it can be it the playoffs and that was proven tonight.
This bullpen will continue to be an asset throughout the playoffs but the starters will have to give the Yankees some length so that it doesn’t get worn down. For as many times as I’ve criticized Girardi’s quick hook, last night I will admit, it was a stroke of genius that saved the Yankees season.
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