Two former Red Sox were the focus of a key moment in Game 6.
The Boston Red Sox were nowhere near the World Series stage this year but two of their former players were the focus of the turning point in the decisive Game 6. One was the hero, the other a scapegoat.
It begins with a highly questionable decision by Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, who spent parts of three seasons as a backup catcher for the Red Sox.
Blake Snell, the former Cy Young award winner and ace of the Rays rotation, was cruising through the first five innings. The lefty held the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers lineup in check, allowing only one hit without a walk while striking out nine through five frames. Snell retired the first batter he faced in the sixth before giving up a base hit to the No. 9 hitter, Austin Barnes.
That’s when Cash strolled out to the mound. The frustration and utter disbelief was painted on the face of Snell as his manager took the ball from him and called in Nick Anderson from the bullpen. Snell had only thrown 77 pitches and he had been as dominant as any pitcher we’ve seen in this series. Getting the hook for allowing a one-out single is an extraordinarily short leash.
The move backfired as former Red Sox superstar Mookie Betts doubled on the third pitch he saw from Anderson to put two runs in scoring position with the Rays clinging to a 1-0 lead.
Anderson then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Barnes to scamper home to tie the game. Betts would then score on a fielder’s choice to hand the Dodgers the lead.
Betts also tacked on an insurance run with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Dodgers hung on to that 3-1 lead to win Game 6 and capture their first World Series title since 1988.
Cash will forever be questioned for his decision to pull Snell in the sixth inning. He later tried to justify the decision by explaining that he didn’t want his starter to face the top of the Dodgers lineup for a third time. Snell showed no signs of laboring in the midst of throwing a masterpiece but Cash, a firm believer in analytics, saw the data dictated this was the right time to turn to his bullpen.
It’s true that Snell dominated opposing lineups early in games this year but hitters fared significantly better when they saw him for a second and third time. He held batters to a .140 average and .462 OPS the first time through the order but that jumped to a .307 average and .977 OPS in their second plate appearance. Snell rarely stayed in the game long enough to face hitters a third time but the numbers are almost equally discouraging in those 23 plate appearances.
Snell hadn’t made it through six innings in any start this year and Cash wasn’t going to let an elimination game in the World Series be the first, no matter how well his pitcher was throwing. Cash is a guy who manages by the numbers and these numbers told him this was the right move.
Not all the numbers agree though.
Cash made the move with Betts coming to the plate despite that Snell had already struck out the Dodgers lead-off hitter twice in this game. While Betts once had a reputation for mashing lefties, that hasn’t been the case in recent years. We saw signs of him slipping with the platoon advantage last year and he fell off a cliff this season, hitting .200 in 55 at-bats against left-handed pitching. His .218 slugging percentage against southpaws was the worst among qualified National League hitters.
Instead of sticking with the lefty who had been dealing in this game, Cash called on a right-handed reliever who was struggling. Anderson was one of the game’s best relievers this year but he was brutal in the postseason, producing a 5.52 ERA and allowing at least one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
We’ll never know if Snell would have escaped the inning without any damage but considering how well he was pitching, you had to like his chances against a batter who hasn’t hit lefties all year followed by the left-handed Corey Seager. Cash is a number guys but he trusted the wrong numbers in this case.
Tampa Bay’s failure is a triumph for Los Angeles. Betts gets to celebrate winning a championship in his first season after being traded by the Red Sox, much to the chagrin of fans in Boston. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wins another ring, 16 years to the day after he helped the Red Sox reverse the curse by winning the 2004 World Series. Roberts has now played a key role in ending lengthy title droughts for two of MLB’s marquee franchises.
The Red Sox gave us very little to celebrate this year but we can still be happy for our former players who earned their championship rings while sympathizing with those who came up short.