The New York Yankees are on top of the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in a best out of five series with a chance to close it out tomorrow, Thursday, and advance to the American League Championship Series and they do not have Raul Ibanez to thank, but their manager Joe Girardi.
He has taken a lot of heat in the past few days for continuously having Alex Rodriguez in the the third sport of his lineup. Usually designed for the best hitter in a team, Alex Rodriguez's numbers do not merit a third spot of a lineup (.272/18/57) let alone the way he has been swinging the bat in the ALDS going 1-12 with seven strikeouts.
Girardi pulled A-Rod out of the lineup when it mattered most and all they needed was a home run in the bottom of the ninth.
Girardi knew that A-Rod did not have his home run cut working since he has yet to hit one in over 70 at-bats.
Gutsy, but bold, Girard pinch hit for A-Rod and gave Ibanez the chance to win it.
Ibanez jumped on a fastball and whacked it over the short porch in right. He got the Yankees the tie, which is what they needed and more importantly, he made Girardi look like a genius.
Did it help the Yankees in the short run?
Of course! Ibanez came in the bottom of the 11th and smacked a first-pitch delivery from Brian Matusz over the fence again, this time to the second deck. The Yankees are just a win from moving on and the Yankees are all about winning.
Do I think this is going to help A-Rod in the long run?
No.
In the immediate future the result proved to be the best move. However, Ibanez will not be the one in the ball club for years to come. Ibanez is 40 years old.
Alex Rodriguez is still under contract. Ibanez does not have more than two years of baseball left and if he does, the Yankees will not be paying him to play for them despite how well he performs in the playoffs.
A-Rod is their guy for the next five years and, without a doubt, Girardi embarrassed him tonight.
Girardi made it seem like he would stick by A-Rod struggling through thick and thin and then as soon as he got his chance, he removed him from the lineup.
I was all about moving Rodriguez down in the batting line up, but yanking him from a game was shocking and, to a certain extent, unfair to Alex.
Can Rodriguez turn this into a positive?
Yes, he can work on his game. He can stop slumping and get completely healthy so he can play better and, if he has something left in his tank, A-Rod can prove that he can be an important part of the Yankees' lineup.
Rodriguez will not admit to it. He is going to answer all the questions properly, say he is happy the team got the win. He will give props to his coach and his teammate for proving clutch.
But, in the end, the question is trust. Does Rodriguez trust in Girardi?
If A-Rod struggles next year and Girardi is still the manager, you better believe Alex will wonder if Joe will allow him to work things out or if the bench will be the place for him.