Before anyone says a word, yes. Joe Girardi has won 1118 games in his managerial career.
And as Janet Jackson once asked, “What Have You Done for Me Lately?”
The last time a Joe Girardi-led team had a winning record was in 2017. That’s what typically happens when Aaron Judge hits 52 home runs and four of your starting pitchers have ERA+ over 116.
It’s almost comical that the team only won 91 games.
Same Old Phillies in 2022
It’s almost like Joe Girardi negatively affects the teams he manages. A bold claim, yes. But one doesn’t need to look far to see Girardi’s limitations. Let’s start in the wonderful year of 2022.
In fact, let’s look at Tuesday night’s game against the rival Atlanta Braves.
After being down a run after the bottom of the 8th, Bryce Harper hit his 10th homer of the season to put the Phillies ahead 5-4. Nick Nelson pitched the bottom of the 8th inning. He also pitched the bottom of the 9th inning.
Here’s how it turned out.
Nelson pitched to three batters in the 9th without recording an out. This all took place with 0 back-ups waiting in the bullpen. This happened with a player with 125 career saves sitting in the pen. This occurred with your $10 million closer wanting the ball for the 3rd day.
Joe Girardi’s “no 3 days in a row” rule this “early” in the season cost the Phillies a series win in Atlanta. While the rule isn’t a ridiculous one, it’s ridiculous that it needs to be adhered to so strictly. It’s almost June. The season is fully underway and it’s not that early in the season anymore.
In fact, it’s getting late, rather quickly.
Being bound to rules so tightly will end up breaking you. It might be a breaking point for the Phillies and Joe Girardi.
Should Joe Girardi’s Contract Be Renewed?
The Phillies have yet to renew Girardi’s contract for 2023. Why should they? Let’s see why not with the other noticeable Girardi calls.
There’s a reason Corey Knebel would’ve pitched three days in a row. Joe Girardi. On Monday, the Phillies had a 4-run 9th inning lead and Girardi called for the closer in a non save situation.
Also in that game, James Norwood was the first man out of the pen in a freshly-tied game in the 6th inning. Norwood came into the game with a convenience store ERA of 7.11. He came out of the game with an 8.53 ERA.
The same James Norwood that facilitated the now-famous 7-1 9th inning collapse.
Would you like an even more recent memory? On Wednesday night, Ranger Suarez was pulled with 1-out in the 5th on 88 pitches. He left an inherited runner on 1st.
JOE GIRARDI CALLS UPON NOTABLE WILD MAN JOSE ALVARADO AND A CIRCUS ENSUES.
We’ve witnessed Girardi manage 3 bullpens now since joining the Phillies. It’s almost too easy to say but he has little or no feel for it.
It makes one’s mind wonder. “What role did Girardi have in the nature of the 2020 and 2021 bullpens?” “Is there a correlation between 2020 being the worst bullpen ERA since 1930 and Joe Girardi’s re-debut into a managerial role?” They have yet to eclipse a record better than .506- barley over .500.
If I’m asking these questions, it’s not far-fetched to think the Phillies are as well. With 2022 as Girardi’s proving grounds, there’s not much more to prove. Girardi is NOT the manager to lead the Phillies back into the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
I’d love to be proven wrong.
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