If you live on planet Earth, you may have heard that the Red Sox and Yankees just played each other. You may also be aware, "Earthling", that the Red Sox won all three games, by the scores of 7-0, 6-5, and 4-3. If you are proficient in math, you could look at those scores and determine that the second two games were decided by only one run. And, as I shove this awkward literary device even further down your throat, you may also know that the team that lost two games by one run apiece possesses Mariano Rivera, the Greatest Closer In All Of Recorded History*.
How could something like that happen? Or, to quote a great Umerican, "That's Unpossible!"
It's quite possible when Joe Girardi is the manager of the offending team. In fairness, many managers make this mistake, Girardi just happens to the most recent offender.
Coming into the series, Rivera had pitched in all of the previous four Yankee games, though one off day occurred during that time. More recently, he had pitched on the last two days but had thrown only 21 total pitches. The first game of the series was a 7-0 blowout by the Red Sox, so it makes total sense that Rivera didn't see the field.
During game two, the Red Sox got out to an early lead. The Yankees were one run down thorough the final two innings, but Rivera didn't see the field. Instead, a combination of Phils (Hughes and Coke) and Alfredo Aceves got the last six outs for the Yankees. Understandable, at least, that the Yankees might shy away from using Rivera in that situation, although you wonder why Girardi didn't employ his best reliever in attempt to keep the game close for a Yankee comeback.
So coming into the third game the Yankees are a game out of first place. A win pulls them into a tie while a loss drops them two back. They are also attempting to avoid a sweep and avoid dropping the first eight games of the year to their to their bitterest of rivals.
With this as backdrop the following unfolds. The Yankees score three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 3-1 lead. At this point, Rivera is shown warming up in the bullpen. The Red Sox don't score in the bottom of the 7th against CC Sabathia, nor do the Yankees in the top of the eighth.
Girardi's first big decision that will alter the game takes place at this point as Sabathia takes the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning. He gives up a single to 9th place hitter Nick Green, and then walks Dustin Pedroia in an ten pitch at-bat. Sabathia has now thrown 121 pitches and has just put the tying run on first base with the Red Sox number two, three, and four hitters coming up.
This is the second game altering decision for Girardi, who elects to keep Sabathia in the game. Again, not an indefensible choice. Drew hits left handed, Sabathia throws left handed, which is a big advantage for the pitcher. Drew hits .120 points of OPS lower against lefties than righties, and Sabathia holds lefties to 50 points less of OPS than righties. So, even keeping an obviously tiring Sabathia in to face the Red Sox number two hitter with 121 pitches in the books and the tying run on first base makes sense. I'm not saying its the right or wrong move, but it at least makes sense.
On the second pitch of the at-bat Sabathia gives up a hard hit run scoring single to Drew. Sabathia is then removed from the game for the Yankees best reliever, Mariano Rivera, who enters a 3-2 game with nobody out, runners on first and second, and promptly shuts the door.
Except, no, that's not at all what happened. Girardi does make a pitching change, but he brings in Alfredo Aceves, who also pitched in the second game, instead of Rivera. This is Girardi's big mistake. Look at all the factors here:
1. Rivera is the best Yankee relief pitcher by far.
2. Rivera hasn't thrown in two days.
3. The Red Sox have won 7 straight games in a row against your team. You need to win this game.
4. The Sox have two runners on, are down by one run, and their best hitters are coming up. Because of the way a lineup works, this is likely the last at-bats for the heart of the Red Sox batting order (unless they go into extra innings). Should it be necessary for Boston to hit again in the bottom of the ninth inning, the likely hitters will be the bottom of Boston's order who, to be explicitly plain about this, aren't as good as those at the top.
5. If Boston takes the lead, New York will only get one more shot at tying the game up. In other words, they may not have the need for another relief pitcher in the game if they don't stop the bleeding now.
With all this known, it makes tons of sense to use your best reliever in this situation. If you use a lesser reliever and fail, you won't have the opportunity to use your best guy later, because you'll have already lost the game.
And that is indeed exactly what happened, as Aceves gave up two singles to Youkilis and Bay and a run scoring sacrifice fly to Mike Lowell. 4-3, Red Sox, and all with Mariano Rivera, the Greatest Closer In All Of Recorded History sitting on his ass in the bullpen watching. The Sox swept New York, and never once had to face Rivera to do it.
Girardi later said that the reason he didn't use Rivera is because, "the situation didn't arise." Actually, it did arise, Girardi just wasn't smart enough to notice.
*Scientists believe there may have been a better closer sometime around the Pleistocene Era, but sadly nobody had yet invented the save statistic so we'll never know.
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