New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi capped an upsetting 5-4 loss to the Orioles on Saturday in Baltimore by getting into an argument with one of the writers who covers the team.
Girardi apparently called New York Post writer Joel Sherman into his office after being frustrated with an exchange the two had during the postgame news conference, and the two began to argue.
In the video below, you can see Girardi answer two questions about pitcher CC Sabathia’s struggles before Sherman jumps into the mix. The Girardi-Sherman exchange that instigated the argument begins at the 3:30 mark:
Here’s how the exchange went:
“I think [the previous reporter] might have just asked my question,” Sherman acknowledged. “Are you convinced CC (Sabathia) is healthy?” he asked.
“Yes, this is the third time, yes. Yes, he’s healthy,” Girardi replied.
“It’s part of the game,” Sherman said in response, trying to defend his question after noticing Girardi seemed irked.
“I know, but I was asked three times,” said Girardi.
“Still part of the game,” Sherman continued.
“No, I’m not lying. One time (to ask the question) is sufficient,” an annoyed Girardi told Sherman.
“Joe, you make big money as Yankee manager, it’s part of the job,” we believe Sherman said to end the exchange, though it was tough to tell exactly what he said.
Girardi shook his head at Sherman, didn’t respond, and then fielded a question from another reporter. It was after the press conference when things got really heated.
According to an account from ESPN’s Andrew Marchand, Girardi called Sherman into his office where they had a heated confrontation. The two reportedly went nose-to-nose in an argument, with Girardi telling Sherman not to tell him how to do his job, and Sherman saying the same thing back to Girardi. Marchand says the two had to be separated by security.
You can question whether Sherman was out of line with his aggressive approach with Girardi (as radio host Evan Cohen points out to us, it’s worth noting that Sherman has been critical of Girardi in the past), but it’s pretty clear that between this and Girardi’s explosion on a heckler last month, the manager is feeling the pressure. Couple the Yankees losing their division lead with the awful call that cost them the game on Saturday, and it’s easy to see why Girardi is so edgy.
