A fascinating moment occurred on Tuesday night, when TBS analyst Pedro Martinez blasted Royals manager Ned Yost after the game for bringing in rookie reliever Yordano Ventura in the sixth inning of the 12-inning, 9-8 Royals victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Ventura had thrown 73 pitches on Sunday, and Yost used him to relieve James Shields on Tuesday, facing Brandon Moss, who had already hit a two-run homer. It was Ventura’s first post-season appearance, and Moss promptly erased the Royals’ 5-3 lead with a three-run blast. Shields had thrown 88 pitches when he was taken out.
There were other relievers Yost could have used, and his decision enraged Royals fans who have questioned his managerial abilities before. Despite the fact that the Royals came back three times in the game to take the lead, and eventually won it, Martinez was not about to let Yost off the hook.
Appearing on TBS, Martinez not only blasted Yost verbally, he fired off some tweets decrying Yost’s decision. After hearing Yost’s explanation for his decision, Martinez said, “Anything you say that wasn’t ‘I screwed up and I almost threw the game away’ will sound bad, and that’s horrible. What he’s saying right there is horrible.” He said of his fellow Dominican Ventura:
The kid pitched the other day and had, I think, 72 pitches. There’s no need to bring another starter in this situation. You have [Brandon] Finnegan in there. You can bring the lefty. You have [Danny] Duffy. You can use anybody against Moss … I think this is another panic move from Ned Yost. He almost gave the game away. If Kansas City ends up losing that game, Ned Yost would have been the ugly goat heading out of Kansas City today.
Martinez tweeted:
I think Ned Yost was trying to give away this game, in any way possible. I dont agree with the situation of putting Ventura into the 6th
— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) October 1, 2014
I think Ned Yost had a panic move and almost gave the game again. If they would have lost, he would have been the ugly goat.
— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) October 1, 2014
Sometimes you have to question and second guess some of the movements managers make. What was Yost thinking when he brought Ventura in?
— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) October 1, 2014
What Ned Yost it’s saying about bringing in Ventura, it’s horrible. How much gas do you want? Why don’t you just go and get a gas station?
— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) October 1, 2014
Martinez commenting on the removal of Shields hearkens back to 2003, when Red Sox manager Grady Little left Martinez in too long in the climactic game of the Red Sox-Yankees playoff series, and the Yankees stormed back to take the lead and win the series. Little, who was bitterly criticized by Red Sox fans after the game, was fired soon after the the loss.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.