If You Booed JP Howell, Joe Maddon Thinks You Are Insane

Maybe the key moment in the Rays game three loss was the two-out, two-run single by Josh Hamilton off of JP Howell in the seventh inning. The hit made the score 4-1 and the Rays would eventually lose the game by one run, 4-3. At the time, a lot of fans questioned the move by Joe Maddon to Howell, who had struggled this season with a 6.16 ERA. However, Howell was better in the final two months of the season, allowing just three runs in 12 innings (2.25 ERA). And whether it was anger towards Howell, or annoyance with Maddon, or just frustration with the situation, some fans booed as Howell was removed from the game. Whatever the reason, Maddon made it clear that booing Howell is completely unacceptable. “It’s really wrong. I don’t understand why the folks would have gone there on him…It’s inappropriate. Here’s a guy who was a big part of our World Series run, is coming off a severe injury and has done some really good work this year, particularly against left-handers. He’s given up a ...