New York Yankees: Win or Lose, Manager Joe Girardi Should Return

A questionable decision not to challenge a hit by pitch in Game 2 of the ALDS led to New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi getting booed by the Yankee Stadium crowd prior to Game 3 and fans calling for his job. However, after the Yankees have evened the series 2-2, I’m here to defend poor Joe.

Joe Girardi is in the last year of his contract with the New York Yankees. After his ALDS Game 2 blunder, Yankees fans do not want the team to renew his contract after this season is over. I personally think that is ridiculous.

You really want the New York Yankees to find a new manager? Who do you want them to bring in? What manager is out there that’s better than Joe Girardi?

Did Girardi make a mistake not challenging the hit by pitch to Lonnie Chisenhall? Absolutely. A huge mistake. But he’s admitted that.

He’s not a perfect manager. Nobody is. If you can find me a perfect manager to replace Joe Girardi with then I’m all for it. Let’s hear some perfect names…I’m waiting…

The Yankees have now fought their way back into the ALDS, tying the series at two games apiece. Whether New York wins Game 5 or not, Joe Girardi should return as Yankees manager.

Just think about all that Girardi has done for the New York Yankees. They weren’t even supposed to be here this season.

In a “retooling” year, Girardi led the Yankees to 91 regular season wins, an AL Wild Card Game victory, and has the Yanks in Game 5 of the ALDS.

In order to get that AL Wild Card Game victory, Joe Girardi had to masterfully work his bullpen to get 26 of 27 outs after his ace Luis Severino flopped.

The fact that the New York Yankees even made it to the playoffs after all of the injuries and inconsistent play this year is remarkable and a true credit to Joe.

CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 26: Starlin Castro (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

Offensive Injuries and Aaron Judge Slump

Gary Sanchez missed about a month with a bicep injury. Starlin Castro had two stints on the disabled list with hamstring injuries. Didi Gregorius missed the first month of the season due to a shoulder injury that he suffered in the World Baseball Classic.

Aaron Hicks missed about two months with a pair of oblique injuries. Jacoby Ellsbury missed a month with a concussion. Matt Holliday missed extended periods of time with a viral infection and lumbar strain. Clint Frazier had a DL stint. Aaron Judge had a miserable second half before breaking back out in September.

Through all of this, the New York Yankees still finished with the most home runs in Major League Baseball and the second-most runs.

Black Hole at First Base

Greg Bird missed almost the entire year with an ankle injury. Tyler Austin was unavailable for much of the first half after breaking his foot in spring training. Girardi was forced to play Chris Carter (remember that strikeout machine?) and Ji-Man Choi at first base.

Girardi made it through the first base struggles, believing in Greg Bird and Bird gave the Yankees the win in Game 3 of the ALDS with a solo shot off Andrew Miller in the seventh inning.

Pitching Problems

Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia missed starts while on the DL. Tanaka, even when healthy, had an up and down season. Michael Pineda, who was originally the Yankees No. 3 starter, was lost for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. New York’s No. 5 starter, Jordan Montgomery, was a rookie who was on an innings limit at the end of the season.

Adam Warren and Aroldis Chapman spent time on the shelf. Tyler Clippard tried to personally sabotage the Yankees season. Dellin Betances had his struggles this year. Aroldis Chapman lost his ability to lock down saves for a while.

Throughout the year, Joe Girardi was able to manage his bullpen and get outs while certain relievers were unavailable or struggling. He removed Chapman from the closer role, got Betances to dominate in his place, and then was able to reinsert Chappy as closer without skipping a beat.

Exceeding Expectations

Going into the 2017 season, the New York Yankees were not expected to be playoff contenders. This team was believed to be at least one year away.

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Preseason expectations combined with all of the injuries and inconsistencies that occurred, you would’ve expected a team hovering around .500. Instead, Joe Girardi led the New York Yankees to a 91-71 record and a playoff berth.

Sure, Girardi is often quick to go to his bullpen, sometimes even when his starter appears to be dealing. However, when you look at this New York Yankees roster, its biggest strength is the bullpen and its biggest weakness is the rotation. Can you blame Joe Girardi for using his biggest weapon as quickly as possible?

Joe Girardi should have challenged the hit by pitch to Lonnie Chisenhall. You know that. I know that. Girardi knows that.

However, Joe Girardi deserves more credit for getting the New York Yankees to Game 2 of the ALDS than he deserves blame for losing it.

Next: Mismanagement of ALDS Game 2 May Cost Joe Girardi His Job

No matter what happens on Wednesday night in Game 5 of the ALDS, Joe Girardi has earned the opportunity to lead this young New York Yankees team in the years to come. He should be offered a contract extension whenever this season ends and be managing the Yankees for the foreseeable future.

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