David Cone vs Michael Kay II: Mariano Rivera Usage

June 15, 2009

By DailySkew

I rewatched the last 2 innings of the infamous Luis Castillo game with my wife, who was traveling that night. Michael Kay was all over Joe Girardi for using Mariano Rivera in the 8th inning with 2 outs and no one on in a 7-7 game to face Carlos Beltran (instead of Phil Coke).

This was fueled by talk radio and ESPN questioning Girardi keeping Alfredo Aceves in the 8th in the depressing CC Sabathia Boston game, when critics were second guessing and asking “Why doesn’t Joe put Mo in?”

So Kay wanted to get a head start and “first guess” as opposed to “second guess”. So he ripped the Rivera move instantly. Here was his rational:

1) A June game is meaningless; this reeks of desperation. What kind of message does it send to the players to have Rivera come in in a “must -win” situation?
2) Joe Torre never did this.

Kay was in the booth with David Cone and Al Leiter, two Subway Series veterans, who realize the importance of the Subway Series in terms of morale and psychology (since it’s fueled by the hateful MEDIA anyway, it helps to wake up in the morning and read and hear good things in the MEDIA capital of the world), but more importantly, the Yanks HAD to beat the Mets after getting killed in Boston and having lost 3 in a row.

Of course you put Mo in, especially since the Yanks have no “setup” man. Cone and Leiter both pretty much said, “No offense to Phil Coke, but he’s no Mariano.”

David Cone had his Internet guy search the old game logs (probably from retrosheet.org) and came up with the stats to show:

1) Joe Torre DID use Mo in more than one inning in:

a) Tie games
b) June games
c) And I assume against the Mets- he didn’t specifically say it.

Cone kept cool, and Kay really didn’t have a comeback besides implying that a June game is worth less than a September game.

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Side-notes rewatching the 8th and 9th innings: there was a random camera shot of Luis Castillo’s face in the EIGHTH inning like he was going to be involved in the climax…if this was WWE I would have thought it was all a set-up!

It’s kinda weird…when I rewatch old ball games where I know the outcome, it seems sometimes the announcers or camera crew will pick up on something before it happens by accident. For example, the camera panned on a guy holding a “Mr. November” for Derek Jeter before he hit the 9/11 HR against the D’Backs. With the 1986 Mets miracle Game 6, the entire last inning seems like it’s working a whole “reverse jinx” situation, as the announcers award the Player of the Game and list the directors and producers, not to mention the champagne in the Boston clubhouse. Check out Kirk Gibson’s Natural HR in 1988- for someone who was crippled the announcers sure were confident beforehand that he was clutch.

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Derek Jeter truly made the 9th inning by going after K-Rod’s changeup outside of the strikezone. He stole 2nd and hustled to score. He had the never-say-die attitude, while A-Rod totally gave up on the pop-up to Castillo.