The Toronto Blue Jays fell to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, thus ending their season in the AL Wild Card round. In this second and deciding game for the Jays, pitcher Jose Berrios was pulled after just 47 pitches. Berrios hadn't given up a run at that point.
As FanSided's Kristen Wong pointed out, pulling Berrios seemed essentially predetermined despite his success on the mound to that point:
"As Blue Jays fans marveled at Berrios' efficient form, their happiness turned to horror when they saw what was unfolding. Berrios was replaced by southpaw Yusei Kikuchi during the fourth inning. The main reasoning behind the change was that three of the next four Twins batters were lefties. For Blue Jays fans, the analytics in that reasoning just didn't fly."
Toronto would go on to lose, 2-0, with Kikuchi giving up the only two runs of the night. When asked about the decision after the game, Jays stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Whit Merrifield were still surprised Berrios was pulled.
Blue Jays stars unhappy with John Schneider for pulling Jose Berrios
Merrifield, who is a free agent after this season, had a little more to say, even questioning John Schneider's philosophy.
"I hated it, frankly. It's not what cost us the game, but it's the kind of baseball decisions that are taking away from managers and baseball, at this stage of the game," Merrifield said.
This is far from the first time a manager has made the wrong call by pulling their starting pitcher a little too soon. Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled Blake Snell in the World Series while he was still pitching a shutout. Tampa would fall victim in similar fashion as the Jays, with the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminating them from the postseason in a series-clinching victory.
Berrios, who was forced to watch his former team celebrate on the field after the game, avoided taking similar shots at his manager.
"Honestly, I don't know, but other than that, I can't control that... I did my best, first 12 batters. It is what it is," Berrios said.
Overthinking at its finest for John Schneider and Co.