Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell not alone with poor decisions
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell has now joined Joe McCarthy, Grady Little and John McNamara in the Red Sox hall of managerial infamy.
As you read this you have one thing in common with me and everyone else in Red Sox Nation – we know a world more about baseball than whoever the manager of the team may be. That is a natural happening and most of us use far too much hindsight to pontificate about our incredible insights into various moves that should have been made.
The reality is most managerial moves are similar to umpiring decisions in that they are routine and quite basic. However, with both come the occasional questioning of how can he do that? One thing the fan does not have privy to is the real situation with each player. A player may have a minor tweak that is not out for public examination that changes a decision.
With 25 Alpha Males on a team, there is always an undercurrent of competitiveness where one or more players feel they should be sitting at the adult’s table as a regular. Sitting on the pine – it is no longer pine – impacts fragile egos to the nth degree. Just the recent ire of Clay Buchholz over being dismissed from the rotation is an example.
“A baseball manager is a necessary evil.” – Sparky Anderson
There are decisions that just make my head explode. John Farrell has had so many I am simply staggered by their numbers. Farrell has far exceeded my game management questionable decisions that now place him in the rarefied territory of Don Zimmer. Surprisingly enough, I found Bobby Valentine to be a rather competent game stagiest.
What are the top few that I remember? The criteria for two is simply moves that were at dramatic changing points that are well-known to every baseball fan, one that I still ponder from this season and a last one that has been passed down by generations of fans.
In the age before the designated hitter, it was common to use pitchers in other roles. Occasionally a pitcher who was noted for using a bat for other than a decorative accoutrement would pinch hit. Yes – some were actually quite competent. A manager would also use a pitcher as a pinch runner.
“Manager’s are hired to be fired” – Unknown
The pitcher would put on his warm-up jacket and take to the bases. Why the jacket? I never figured that one out – maybe like a redshirt in football practice? The pitchers actually knew how to run the bases since they would be called upon to bunt and even swing away. Certainly more complete than today.
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Herb Washington played in 105 major league games for Oakland and never hit, yet he scored 33 runs. Why? The ever creative Charlie Finley – the whimsical team owner – brought the world-class sprinter in as a designated runner. Washington was taught the fundamentals and sent in when a steal was needed, but his rate was just 65%.
Bringing in Steven Wright to pinch run still, staggers my reasoning. This is not 1958. What was Farrell thinking? When you place players in a potentially bad situation that they are unaccustomed to something bad will undoubtedly happen and it did.
Just this one single move would be enough in my very slanted view to simply send Farrell to the cornfield. Thankfully Farrell has a litany of game management crimes and this one is simply the cherry on top of the sundae.
The 1948 World Series was a great one that was the only subway series in Boston history as the Red Sox faced the Braves for a world championship. Really more of a Green Line trolley series or a short walk series. Too bad it didn’t happen.
The Red Sox and Cleveland tied and a one game playoff was necessary. That became the issue. Red Sox manager Joe McCarthy, who had led the Yankees to a string of titles came out of retirement to manage Boston. McCarthy should have stayed in retirement.
McCarthy chooses Denny Galehouse to start the game and the results were predictable as Boston got hammered with Cleveland player-manager Lou Boudreau hitting a first inning home run. Boudreau hit another later in the game to move it to 6-1 and the final score was 8-3.
“McCarthy came out of his office and approached me from the back,” Parnell, a career 123-75 pitcher, recounted. “He put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Kid, I’ve changed my mind, the elements are against a lefthander, the wind’s blowing out to left field. I’m going with a right-hander.’ – Mel Parnell
The Red Sox could have started Mel Parnell, but made the decision to go with the shocked Galehouse who finished the season 8-8 with a 4.00 ERA. This was the next to last season of an unremarkable career for the veteran right-hander. Parnell finished 1948 at 15-6 with a 3.14 ERA. Parnell was 8-3 with a 2.21 ERA at home that season and that sticks a dagger in McCarthy’s “logic.”
Parnell had decent numbers against Cleveland in 1948 going 3-2 with a 3.32 ERA. At Fenway, Parnell tossed 26 innings against the Indians allowing five earned runs. During the season Galehouse was 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA against Cleveland and in his only Fenway start against them lasted 1.2 innings allowing four earned runs.
This tidbit of questionable management is now Red Sox lore passed down from generation to generation. A Hall of Fame manager making a total bonehead choice for the biggest game of the year.
Getting ready to celebrate since the Red Sox were up 5-2 at New York in game seven of the ALCS. The 2003 season would be the partial dismantling of “The Curse” and humiliation will fall upon the Yankees at The Stadium. Perfect. What could possibly go wrong?
I’d lived through Jim Lonborg on two days rest in-game seven in 1967. Luis Aparicio tripping over third base in 1972. Jim Rice gets a broken wrist and Boston not having him in the dramatic seven games in 1975. Bucky Dent in 1978 after the team collapsed. The failure of 1986. The series of playoffs that all were one and done.
Then it happened – again.
Is it managers drinking the Charles River water? What caused a perfectly sane manager to do the wrong thing when the right thing is so clear? Why did Grady Little – who had a two-season record of 188-136 leave a tired Pedro Martinez on the mound?
“There’s a fly ball deep to left! It’s on its way! There it goes! And the Yankees are going to the World Series!” – Charlie Steiner
Pedro had tossed 118 pitches and was wearing out when the end was quite apparent. The eighth had started and Pedro had one out when the Yankees bundled three hits. The bullpen was all set and ready to roll. Bodies were well rested and willing to put this one away. Pedro stayed in and Jorge Posada puts a double into the score card and a new game at 5-5.The game dragged on until the last of the eleventh when Aaron Boone took Tim Wakefield deep and another dismal chapter was added to the Red Sox laundry list of being abused by the Yankees.
The fact is Pedro should have been gone the batter, BEFORE Posada – Hideki Matsui, who had already banged out a double. Alan Embree was ready. Nope. Matsui, a left-hand hitter, doubles and now it is 5-3. Pedro out? Nope.
Little was fired and rightfully so. That one move doomed him forever in Boston.
Our coach (manager) in baseball once told us – his teenage players – that he would make every effort to place us in positions where we may have the best chance to succeed as individuals and as a team. Managers are supposed to do that and in 1986 John McNamara failed in a decisive game six of the World Series.
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Bill Buckner was on his last legs and I do mean last. The pins were shot. The wheels were stuck. A gifted fielder who was now a liability thanks the erosion of his ankles and Achilles. McNamara would replace Buckner with Dave Stapleton late in games for the very obvious reason – defense.
Stapleton had already replaced Buckner in games one, three and five so this was the logical and expected move. In addition, Buckner was hitting under .200 for the series when Mac allowed him to remain in the game and become one and quite possibly the most dramatic blunder in World Series history.
“If the Red Sox couldn’t win their first World Series in 68 years after leading … by two runs … with two out … and the bases empty in the bottom of the 10th inning of Saturday’s sixth game, well, maybe it’s impossible after all.” – Kevin Modesti, L.A. Daily News
I would recount the painful play, but I tragically remember the earlier congratulations posted on the Mets scoreboard for the Red Sox winning the series – prior to the moment of pain. Bruce Hurst was even named MVP. Again – the rest is baseball PTSD for Red Sox fans.
Buckner became a “goat” for the series, but those horns belong firmly on Johnny Mac. The years drifted by and Buckner had to live with his moment of baseball infamy that forever tainted. What should be remembered is 22 years at the MLB level, a slash of .289/.321/.408 and 2,715 career hits.
After 2004 an epiphany took place and Buckner was returned to the good graces of RSN. The years of championships have diluted that moment.
Next: Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia falls short of historic hitting streak
Sources: Baseball-Reference/Baseball Almanac/Baseball Prospectus/ A Summer To Remember: Bill Veeck, Lou Boudreau, Bob Feller, and the 1948 Cleveland Indians