Rays Manager Kevin Cash Slammed For Pulling Blake Snell After Dodgers Win The World Series

Blake Snell was hot. Through six innings in game six of the World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays starter had only given up two hits and had struck out nine batters, but manager Kevin Cash decided to pull him anyways claiming the reason was that he didn’t want Snell to face the Dodgers lineup a third time.

“The only motive was that the lineup the Dodgers feature is as potent as any in the league,” Cash said. “Personally, I felt Blake had done his job and then some. Mookie coming around the third time through… I value that. I totally respect and understand the questions that come with it. Blake gave us every opportunity to win. He was outstanding. They’re not easy decisions…. Didn’t want Mookie or Seager seeing Blake a third time. There was no set plan. As much as people think, there’s no set plan.”

 

Snell was visibly upset about this decision in real time and during his postgame comments. “I am definitely disappointed and upset,” Snell said. “I just want the ball. I felt good. I did everything I could to prove my case to stay out there, and then for us to lose, it sucks. I want to win, and I want to win the World Series, and for us to lose, it just sucks.”

The Dodger ended up winning their seventh World Series with a 1-3 game six win. It seems that this was an analytics-driven decision, which has really taken over baseball the past few years. While it can’t be certain, it seems like analytics just cost a team their chance at a World Series.