Buffalo News (New York)
July 29, 2012
July 29, 2012
Dear Editor,
The Yankees have lost quite a few games that could
have been won without a pitching change. It happened again Sunday in Oakland. It
seems manager Joe Girardi often leaves pitchers in too long or takes them out
too soon.
Example: A relief pitcher or set-up man comes in and retires the
side with no problems. He is removed after one inning and a new pitcher comes in
and has trouble. Bingo. A probable win now becomes a loss. Again typical of
Sunday's Oakland game in which David Robertson retires the side in the eighth
and Rafael Soriano comes in and fails.
Why can't a pitcher who comes in for the seventh or eighth inning
remain in if he is obviously performing well? Can't relievers or set-up men go
more than one inning? If a pitcher has performed well, leave him in for the next
inning. If he shows signs of trouble, then bring in another pitcher.
One-inning pitchers should not be a hard-and-fast rule.
Changes should be made only if the pitcher cannot continue to
perform.
Don Weimer
Williamsville
This man has my undying admiration. But he would be fired as a manager, mid-season, for not managing the bullpen correctly. And not having a widdle book of numbers that supports his every decision.
ReplyDeleteThese are simply managerial musts.