Phil Nevin was crushed on Twitter by New York Yankees fans on Tuesday night over a bad decision he made to cost his team.
The Yankees had something cooking in the top of the sixth inning in the AL Wild Card Game. They scored their first run of the game on an Anthony Rizzo home run to make it 3-1 Boston. Then Aaron Judge reached on an infield single, bringing Giancarlo Stanton to the plate with one out and the Red Sox leading 3-1.
Stanton, who crushed a ball in the first off the Green Monster, hit an absolute bullet off the wall in deep center. Nevin, who is the Yankees’ third base coach, sent Judge. Judge was easily thrown out at home by a nice relay from the Red Sox.
Given how hard Stanton hit the ball and that Judge was on first, Nevin should have known to hold Judge at third. Instead, he sent the big man to the plate, and the Red Sox got him out easily for a huge save.
The Yankees would have had runners on the corners (or second and third) with one out in a 3-1 game. Instead they ended up with a runner on second and two outs for Joey Gallo, who popped out to end the inning.
Here is a sampling of the criticism Nevin faced on Twitter immediately:
If Nevin gets replaced this offseason, you’ll know why.
More must-reads: