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Obviously, you can't put it all on the decision to pull Skubal, given that the Tigers had an entire extra ball game (innings 7-15) to score another run, but watching Hinch yank…
a) the best pitcher in baseball
b) who had set records for post-season performance in this game, and
c) had just blown away Cal "Jesse Winker Wants to Bang My Butt" Raleigh on a 101-mph heater
…because of a ****ing number makes me want to vomit. No manager in the history of baseball who actually watched Skubal pitch instead of being a slave to the goddamn pitch count would have even thought about lifting him, not for a second. I hate "modern" "baseball" so much.
Tom "the Weasel" Verducci was all "well they sent Skubal back out for the 7th in his previous start and he was totally gassed" as if that means anything. You know how I can tell if Skubal is "gassed", Weasel? When he's not throwing so hard that Raleigh would rather have Winker grinding on his cheeks than have to face Tarik, that's when!
Suppose Skubal goes out for the 7th and it turns out that he did use up everything smoking Cuddle Buns and J-Rod hits his first pitch 550 ft to dead center and ties the game? So what? You're pretty much right back where Finnegan put you, anyhow. Moronic.
But, but, but…if Skubal had gone too deep, he might not have been available for the ALCS! Yeah, well now the whole team is unavailable for the ALCS. And so it goes…
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