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June 28, 2005



by SG

A tie game in the ninth inning or beyond is the highest leverage situation in baseball. In that position, a smart manager will bring in his best relievers in order since a single run will likely decide the game.

After 9 innings and having used Chien Ming Wang and Tom Gordon, the Yankees were tied at 4 with the Orioles.

The following options were avaiable to Torre to come in for relief:

PITCHERS W- L ERA BA G GS CG GF SH SV IP H R ER HR BB SO
Rivera 4- 2 0.91 .150 28 0 0 27 0 17 29.2 16 9 3 1 11 32
Sturtze 2- 1 3.43 .248 30 0 0 6 0 0 42.0 39 18 16 3 5 22
Groom 1- 0 4.29 .294 20 0 0 7 0 0 21.0 25 10 10 2 7 11
Proctor 0- 0 4.50 .278 3 0 0 1 0 0 4.0 5 4 2 0 3 4
Stanton 1- 1 6.43 .286 27 0 0 5 0 0 14.0 16 10 10 0 6 12
Quantrill 1- 0 6.75 .361 22 0 0 6 0 0 32.0 48 24 24 5 7 11


I'm not a major league manager. I haven't won four World Series. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have brought Mike Stanton in though.

Every time this team starts to play well, they have a game like tonight that hammers home the point that they're just not that great. The big news is the summit in Tampa with Steinbrenner and his front office. Until that all shakes out, it's difficult to see how this team is going to be improved.

One thing that's become clear to me is that Joe Torre can't manage a team that does not have a deep, talented roster. He is almost robotic in his style. If the team has a lead, it will always be Sturtze, Gordon, and Rivera, depending on the inning. Tanyon Sturtze has never been a full-time reliever, yet he has been warming up or pitching almost every game, and there's no doubt in my mind that he is being overworked.

I will grant that Torre has not been dealt much of a roster. There's little in the way of flexibilty, and several players that really have no useful skills. He still messed up tonight, and for a team desperate for wins, playing against a reeling divisional rival that is injury-riddled, it was a bad one.