[lex24]

You must have LOVED the Giants game last night when Mets manager Luis Rojas pulled starting pitcher Taijuan Walker after two weak bloop hits.  Next batter doubled to win the game for the Giants.

Rojas is justifiably getting slammed by the NY press.

2014 NLDS Game 4 Matt Williams 
2020 World Series Game 6 Kevin Cash

The two best recent examples of managers making an obvious mistake (no hindsight required, it was so evident at the moment) by pulling the starting pitcher.

2016 NLDS, Bochy pulling Moore in ninth inning in Game 4 (in best of 5 series).  Just effing brutal!

BTW, it wasn't even two hits last night when manager pulled the starter.  It was an error by 3B, and then a flare that the RF could have had (and maybe should have had - though CF and 2B didn't help out much).  That managerial decision quite likely led to Giants victory.  Crawford hit game-winning (ultimately) 2-run double on the first pitch thrown by the lefty reliever.

Honestly, it's Ws like last night (a lot of luck involved) that fuel the belief that "the Giants can't keep this up."  The Giants had 4 measly hits, yet scored 3 runs and won 3-2 (even though Mets had 10+(?) hits).  But we'll see.  The Padres did the Gyros no favors last night.

You love to bring up that 2016 game. Probably only move Bochy made in 10 post game series that didn’t work…

Loved Bochy.
But the WTF decisions are always the ones I remember most for any coach of a team I root for.  And I do that towards Bochy while fully acknowledging that there are tens - if not hundreds - of good calls that he made during his playoff runs, many of which I didn't even recognize because he is more astute a baseball guy than I.  But obviously, that 2016 blunder still sticks in the craw a bit (would have loved to see Johnny Cueto pitching at Wrigley in a winner-take-the-series game against the Cubs, whose puck-o-meter would have been off the charts).

Eye test real time should still be an important - and probably deciding - factor.

There is not a coach or manager in any sport that doesn’t have a slew of WTF moments.  It’s a tough occupation.  They are making key decisions many times a game.  Further, what may appear to be WTF moments may not be.  Bochy was not known for pulling pitchers early.  In fact, he was sometimes criticized for leaving pitchers in too long.  What none of us know is what goes on in the dugout etc. For example, I think it’s possible that Bochy (or Rags or both) spoke with Moore, asked him how he was feeling, and didn’t like the response. Or maybe they had told him after 7 that the 8th would be it. So don’t worry about leaving anything in the tank. Hell, if it was Bum, Bochy would have had to shoot him before pulling him. Or, maybe he just felt Moore had run out of gas. Bochy was 9-10 in post season, plus two WC wins.  I will bet you that the Giants were the underdogs in all 10 series.  His run was remarkable.  Which is why he will be in HOF. (And, btw, Bochy was an eye test guy. Many of the analytics junkies didn’t and still don’t think much of him )

As for armchair coaching, quarterbacking etc, it is bogus much of the time. Because of what we do not know.   We all do it.  I do it a lot.  But we never have all the circumstances.  And, I don’t know about you, but every move I’ve made, every play I’ve called from the comfort of my couch, has worked. Prove otherwise…. :)

[lex24]

You must have LOVED the Giants game last night when Mets manager Luis Rojas pulled starting pitcher Taijuan Walker after two weak bloop hits.  Next batter doubled to win the game for the Giants.

Rojas is justifiably getting slammed by the NY press.

2014 NLDS Game 4 Matt Williams 
2020 World Series Game 6 Kevin Cash

The two best recent examples of managers making an obvious mistake (no hindsight required, it was so evident at the moment) by pulling the starting pitcher.

2016 NLDS, Bochy pulling Moore in ninth inning in Game 4 (in best of 5 series).  Just effing brutal!

BTW, it wasn't even two hits last night when manager pulled the starter.  It was an error by 3B, and then a flare that the RF could have had (and maybe should have had - though CF and 2B didn't help out much).  That managerial decision quite likely led to Giants victory.  Crawford hit game-winning (ultimately) 2-run double on the first pitch thrown by the lefty reliever.

Honestly, it's Ws like last night (a lot of luck involved) that fuel the belief that "the Giants can't keep this up."  The Giants had 4 measly hits, yet scored 3 runs and won 3-2 (even though Mets had 10+(?) hits).  But we'll see.  The Padres did the Gyros no favors last night.

You love to bring up that 2016 game. Probably only move Bochy made in 10 post game series that didn’t work…

Loved Bochy.
But the WTF decisions are always the ones I remember most for any coach of a team I root for.  And I do that towards Bochy while fully acknowledging that there are tens - if not hundreds - of good calls that he made during his playoff runs, many of which I didn't even recognize because he is more astute a baseball guy than I.  But obviously, that 2016 blunder still sticks in the craw a bit (would have loved to see Johnny Cueto pitching at Wrigley in a winner-take-the-series game against the Cubs, whose puck-o-meter would have been off the charts).

Eye test real time should still be an important - and probably deciding - factor.

There is not a coach or manager in any sport that doesn’t have a slew of WTF moments.  It’s a tough occupation.  They are making key decisions many times a game.  Further, what may appear to be WTF moments may not be.  Bochy was not known for pulling pitchers early.  In fact, he was sometimes criticized for leaving pitchers in too long.  What none of us know is what goes on in the dugout etc. For example, I think it’s possible that Bochy (or Rags or both) spoke with Moore, asked him how he was feeling, and didn’t like the response. Or maybe they had told him after 7 that the 8th would be it. So don’t worry about leaving anything in the tank. Hell, if it was Bum, Bochy would have had to shoot him before pulling him. Or, maybe he just felt Moore had run out of gas. Bochy was 9-10 in post season, plus two WC wins.  I will bet you that the Giants were the underdogs in all 10 series.  His run was remarkable.  Which is why he will be in HOF. (And, btw, Bochy was an eye test guy. Many of the analytics junkies didn’t and still don’t think much of him )

As for armchair coaching, quarterbacking etc, it is bogus much of the time. Because of what we do not know.   We all do it.  I do it a lot.  But we never have all the circumstances.  And, I don’t know about you, but every move I’ve made, every play I’ve called from the comfort of my couch, has worked. Prove otherwise…. :)