Kevin Cash is standing by his decision to pull Blake Snell from Game 6 of the World Series last month.
Cash pulled Snell with two outs in the sixth inning of Game 6 with his Tampa Bay Rays leading the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0. Snell was pulled despite throwing a shutout and having allowed only two hits to that point. The move backfired, as the Dodgers quickly took a 2-1 lead and won 3-1.
The Dodgers admitted after the game that the pitching change gave them fresh motivation.
Even though the decision worked out terribly, Cash says he would do it again.
“I would make the same decision again,” Cash said during an interview Tuesday with ESPN’s John Buccigross on “SportsCenter”. “Just hope for a much better outcome. And that’s being so respectful of everybody’s opinion that’s out there. But that’s what we do. We pride ourselves on getting the most favorable matchups possible, and in that moment thought that was the best matchup. They don’t always work, and certainly that one didn’t, but I think we have to stick to our thoughts, the information that is provided, and do what is best to help the team win.”
Buccigross pressed Cash on whether the decision was influenced by Tampa Bay’s front office, since the manager said “we” multiple times in his answer.
Cash said they “collaborate and discuss and communicate on a daily basis” but that the front office does not tell him how to do everything.
The Rays have a process and plan and tend to stick with it. Their plan did not seem to take into account the emotional lift and momentum change such a decision would produce. Most people watching could tell you that removing Snell in that situation was a bad choice. The results seem to prove that.
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