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LaRussa had initially asked for Eckersley, who was unavailable last nightJust read up on the Rangers' half of the eighth inning last night in game 5 of the World Series.
It's so weird, so conflicting and confusing that it almost makes sense. Anyway, we'd be crucifying Ron Washington if this happened on his watch. To be honest with you, I don't know if I blame Tony LaRussa or not. If you want to be tickled, listen to LaRussa's post-game press conference as he explains the issue with the bullpen phone, Jason Motte and more.
The bottomline here is that the Rangers fandom -- 51,000 strong -- made so much noise and din that it derailed the Cardinals from functioning. Weird for a football town.
Here's, by LaRussa's account, what happened:
1. Lance Lynn was not going to pitch at all last night.
2. LaRussa called the bullpen. Told the bullpen coach to warm Mark Rzepczynski and Jason Motte. A lefty and righty, respectively.
3. Octavio Dotel had allowed a double to Mike Young and struck out Adrian Beltre. Post-game, Dotel told pitching coach Dave Duncan he wanted to pitch to Nelson Cruz, but that LaRussa wanted an intentional walk. Dotel acquiesces.
4. Mind you, right now, LaRussa assumes that Rzepczynski and Motte are warm, or close.
5. LaRussa brings in lefty Rzepczynski to face lefty David Murphy. Again, Murphy reaches on an infield single off Rzepczynski's glove. Bases loaded.
6. AT THIS POINT, LaRussa wanted Motte. Of course, Motte had never gotten up to warm. He was not ready.
7. LaRussa realizes this and calls the bullpen again to tell them to warm Motte. REMEMBER, sometime around Young's double, LaRussa had called to warm Rzepczynski and Motte. Beltre batted. There'd been a visit to the mound. An intentional walk to Cruz. A visit to the mound. A change of pitcher. Warm up. Murphy's at bat. AND WITH MIKE NAPOLI COMING TO THE PLATE, that's apparently when LaRussa and Duncan realized that Motte had not warmed. That's a solid 10-12 minutes of the manager and the world-renowned pitching coach not realize what was happening in left-centerfield.
8. Rzepczynski pitches to Napoli. He doubles. 4-2.
9. While LaRussa assumes he has Motte warming and warmed, Rzepczynski strikes out Mitch Moreland.
10. AGAIN, LaRussa and Duncan fail to realize that not only is Motte still not warming, but Lance Lynn -- THE GUY THAT EVERYONE KNEW WASN'T GOING TO PITCH THAT NIGHT -- was warm and ready. The bullpen coach said after the game that he heard "LYNN" and not "MOTTE."
11. By all accounts, LaRussa didn't realize that Lynn was coming into the game until he walked up to the mound. Who the fuck is running this team?
12. LaRussa said something very cocky after the game: “If he hears ‘Lynn’ and I’m the manager. What is he going to say?” This isn't fucking China. In this country, we question our superiors all the time. LaRussa really believes he's above reproach and disbelief. No doubt he's a good manager. Still, I doubt that he hasn't had an assistant go up and question his moves or intentions. This isn't rocket science. If my boss comes up and tells me to punch another employee in the face, I'm not going to absent-mindedly do it.
The person really skating through all of this: Dave Duncan. If LaRussa is a deity, Duncan's the archangel. I read a baseball writer earlier in the week say he should be the first assistant manager put into the Hall of Fame.
What's he doing through all of this? After you ask a guy to get loose, isn't the pitching coach on the phone asking questions, wondering if the pitcher is ready? Isn't he looking down to the bullpen seeing who is there and who is not? Isn't he talking to LaRussa asking questions and ... clutch the pearls!!!! ... putting LaRussa's strategy or logic up to the microscope?
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