The Tyranny of Pitch Count
Other than Utley (2 home runs), Sabathia was having a pretty good outing - but he had thrown a lot of pitches. Showing all the imagination of a modern manager, Girardi paid attention to the pitch count instead of the flow, and took him out at the start of the 8th. Phil Huges promptly walked two batters, so Damaso Marte was brought in.
A manager who just paid attention to the game, and ignored pitch count would have stayed with Sabathia, maybe lifting him when Utley came up.
Sheesh. As I was writing this, Marte got two batters out, and just got lifted for Dave Robertson. Now I'll have to bring this up: say the Yankees manage to score two runs in their next two at bats, typing the game. Congratulation, Joe - you've depleted your bullpen in a fit of managerial over-intervention.
Update: Bah. Robertson walked one, and then Ibanez got a junk hit. I still say Sabathia should have stayed in
Comments
Numbers vs. judgement
[George] October 29, 2009 15:24:54.360
Well, a manager has to worry about not just this game, but tiring a pitcher for the next game—or worse, injuring him.
When doctors reject hard numbers and statistics to rely on their guts, we recognize it's ignorant arrogance. Why not extend the same reasoning and reliance on science to more important things, like baseball?
Pitch Counts
[James Robertson] October 29, 2009 17:02:59.225
I'm sure they matter over the course of a series of games, or a season. I don't think they matter as much in, say, the 7th inning of an important game...