Judging from the elevated blood pressures of fans, especially as heard on radio over the weekend, the Yankees’ playoff run ended Thursday night, when manager Joe Girardi, ostensibly discerning that Masahiro Tanaka was tiring after 93 pitches, pulled him after seven, the Yankees up 5-1, in, yikes, Fenway Park. Yankees lost, 7-5.
Why, oh why? The laments were heartbreaking. It was mid-September; weren’t the Yankees in a must-win? What were they saving Tanaka for, spring training? How could Girardi throw in a winning hand for a bullpen of maybes?
Silly questions! Tanaka was coming out after seven back in March, when Girardi, as were most MLB managers, was finalizing his inning-by-inning “By The Book” bullpen formula, the one that replaces in-game realities with out-of-body fantasies.