ALDS: A Replay That Wasn't Sparks a Cleveland Comeback
Maybe New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi just totally agrees with Commish Rob Manfred.
So he'll do whatever he can to speed up the game.
It could be Girardi's trying too hard.
His high octane closer thinks so:
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A request that wasn't made changed the course of Game 2 between the Yankees and Cleveland's Indians.
Check the situation:
- 6th inning, with New York leading, 8-3;
- An 0-2 count on Lonnis Chisenhall;
- Note the radar had Chad Green's heater at 95mph, and before the fateful aftermath,
- Watch Girardi shrug in frustration when he gets the replay results.
Loose lips sink ships. Right, dude?
Just a guess, here, but in his 15-year playing career, Girardi might've taken a pitch on his hands somewhere along the line.
As a catcher, he's surely handled mid-90s fastballs.
Who'd he think Lonnie Chisenhall was? Superman? Fighting diabetes?
Dude didn't even flinch.
What's more, why keep his replay request in the pocket? After the sixth, they're all automatic, anyway.
Girardi's feeble excuse flies in the face of facts. Apparently, Chapman could see that all the way from the bullpen.
Picking the proceedings up from there ...
Can't say Chapman didn't have his chance to defy fate.
And given baseball's penchant for red-headed stepchild stats, this has gotta be the first time a Brazilian citizen has ever delivered a walkoff winner.
For the record, no replay was necessary, and Gomes' heroics sped up the game's end.