Reflecting On Yesterday's Loss

Everyone hates David Robertson today.  Everyone, except me. 

Everyone thinks Aaron Boone is an idiot for the DRob / Smoak match up that ultimately handed the Yankees a devastating loss.  But let’s be truly honest here… how devastating is this loss really considering it’s game 4? 

I appreciate passionate Yankee fans… but you guys got it all wrong.

I would have done the same damn thing. I would have intentionally walked Josh Donaldson. I really would have!  I would have put DRob in that spot the same as Boone did.  I would have let DRob let it go and see what would have happened next.   That’s because Robertson’s a gamer and Boone is walking through this as he goes, but ultimately, when you think about it… it’s the right match up.

It just so happened that Justin Smoak won that battle yesterday after an intense 9 pitch at bat.  And So?  If you think about it, that 9 pitch at bat is what you want in a good game. A battle! A true chess game. IT’S WHAT YOU WANT IN A PLAYER AND IN A GAME!  But we lost, folks, and that’s baseball.

It ain’t the World Series, folks.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s April where this stuff gets worked out anyway.  Sure, Spring training is about ‘working out the kinks’… but April is about finding the right rhythm and working with match ups, personalities and passion for this game.  David has the passion. Boone has passion.  Yesterday, so did Smoak, and he won.

Now I make no excuses.  Neither does David Robertson and that’s why I have such respect for this guy.  He blew it, yes, but he owned it.  Now we move on. We have to.

Stop panicking fans.  You are being ridiculous. 

Because that pitch, maybe Smoak doesn’t hit that grand slam. We just don’t know what’s going to happen day in and day out. All you can do as a manager is put what you think is the best match up on the field at that moment… and roll the dice. You trust your players and you trust that they are going to do the best job they can.  And DRob? Yup, I would have put him there. I would have walked Donaldson and had DRob throw to Smoak. Why? Because the match up made sense… AND… because DRob would have wanted the God damn ball.  That, for me… is all I could ask for in a player.

David Robertson owned it.  Game over. Blue Jays win and now we move on.

Stop whining fans.  A lot of baseball is still to come.

I got your back David.  All good on my end.