With the Red Sox and Yankees locked in a 4-4 tie after 9 innings on Thursday night, Joe Girardi decided his squad was out of gas. The Yankees manager told the umpires he was out of pitchers, so there was no choice but to end the game in a tie. Bobby Valentine would have preferred to keep things going, and after the game he made it clear that he wasn’t buying Girardi’s no pitchers excuse.
“They had plenty of pitching. Probably too long of a ride,” Valentine said according to the Boston Globe. “They could have known that going in.”
Valentine, who had relief pitcher Clayton Mortenson warming up in the bullpen after the Red Sox tied it in the bottom of the ninth, said he didn’t think it was “courteous” that no one consulted his club about calling the game.
“Usually you go over and say, ‘Hey, I don’t have any more,’” Valentine continued. “I don’t know. I haven’t been around in a long time. Joe knows better than I. I guess you just walk off the field. I’m sure (Girardi) didn’t do anything deliberate. It’s just I have to answer a pitcher who’s trying to make the team. That’s why you use that bullpen.’’
The whole situation isn’t really as big of a deal as Valentine is making it out to be, but he has a point about having to disappoint a pitcher who is trying to make the team. If Girardi truly had absolutely no pitchers left, that’s one thing. However, as a pitcher you won’t get many better opportunities to impress the coaches in spring training than a tie game in extra innings innings against the Yankees. Both managers probably should have had a say.
