Whether the incident on Thursday night was actually responsible for the Yankees’ eventual 2-1 win or not, it was good to see Joe Girardi show some fire in that situation. Through the first
seven weeks, Girardi had come out of the dugout a few times to protest a call, but he typically pleaded his case for a few seconds, heard the ump’s response and headed back to the dugout.
I’m not suggesting that managers should always act like Billy Martin in these situations, but once in a while, it’s not a bad thing. Girardi slammed his hat down, kicked it, kicked some dirt and did his best Lou Piniella impression after he was ejected, making sure to get his money’s worth.
“It was funny,” Derek Jeter said. “I enjoyed it. I was hoping he would kick it all the way to the dugout like Piniella.”
Whether he intended to or not, he may have taken Orioles reliever Jim Johnson out of his game with the tirade, as Johnson proceeded to walk Bobby Abreu and give up Cano’s game-winner after Girardi had departed.
Girardi was still running on adrenaline when Cano hit his game-winner, and according to the manager, the couch in his office took the brunt of that energy.
“I had a pen in my hand, and I was so happy that I threw it extremely hard into the couch,” he said. “I hope my arm doesn’t hurt tomorrow.”
