How Getz, Butler & Yost cost us our first chance in decades

[petegz28]

Okay, okay, it was a long shot to begin with but we were making a serious run at making that long shot.

Enter the 3 Amigos: Chris Getz, Billy Butler, Ned Yost...

Backdrop:
It was a Saturday night in Detroit. The Royals had just swept the 1st place Tigers in a double-header the previous day. It was set for the Royals to take at least 3 out 5 from the 1st place team and at worst gain a game on them

It was a very playoff like atmosphere. Detroit took the early lead but Kansas City kept battling back to tie the game. Then it comes down to the last 6 outs of the game with the Royals trailing.

In the top of the 8th the Royals had scratched runs to tie the game at 5. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs, David Lough pops out to the infield. Okay, Lough has been an over-achieving 4th outfielder, it's disappointing but acceptable and somewhat expected.

That brings us Eric Hosmer in the same situation with 1 out. The Tigers wisely walk him to load the bases and get to Billy Butler. Yes, that is correct, in a tie game the Tigers loaded the bases intentionally with 1 out to face what is supposed to be the best hitter on the Royals' roster.

Royals fans are thinking "the go ahead run is sealed, Butler will come through with the Sac Fly at least, right?", or were they??? Billy Butler, the DH, the All-Star, the man whose job is to do nothing but hit the ball....lines out to the 3rd baseman making it 2 outs with bases loaded, putting the odd squarely in the favor of Detroit and making them look like geniuses for walking Hosmer. Gordon grounds out, Royals don't score the go ahead run.

Onto the top of the 9th. With 2 outs and the go ahead runner on 3rd and the odds already favoring the defense, Chris Getz, at his direction or otherwise, puts down a bunt. YES! YES! A ****ING BUNT WITH 2 OUTS! Needless to say the runner on 3rd never scored and the Royals head to the bottom of the 9th tied at 5 to face the best hitter in baseball.

Enter Ned Yost. In a 3-1 count, Aaron Crow is somehow not told to pitch around Cabrrera. Instead he grooves a 3-1 fastball only to watch the game end as the ball went over the outfield wall. Royals lose, 6-5.

Game over. Season Over.

While there were no guarantees we would have won that game using more common sense, we would have had a much better chance at doing so.


I know there is plenty of blame to go around but later in life as I look back on this season I will look back to those 2 innings and those series of plays as to what finally broke the back of the Royals miracle run at the playoffs.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Silly.

[ptlyon]

Obsess much?

[Halfcan]

Yep the Royals gave that one away. Getz is just horrible- has been all year.

[WhawhaWhat]

[BlackHelicopters]

But, but Getz has a hot wife.

[RockChalk]

Not completely silly.

Teams do this to us all the time. Nobody fears Billy Butler. It was a no-brainer for Detroit to walk Hozmer to face him.

A quote from Verlander after Friday:

BUTLER DID IT: Royals DH Billy Butler continues to have no trouble getting hits off Justin Verlander. Butler went 2-for-3 off Verlander on Friday. Butler is now hitting .436 (27-for-62) off Verlander for his career. Verlander said most of Butler’s hits off him have been singles.

“I didn’t throw him very good pitches,” Verlander said. “Obviously he puts good swings on my pitches. Here’s a guy that with nobody on, he hits a single and it’s probably going to take a single and a double or three hits to score him. He’s not the fleetest of foot. He’s not going to steal a base.”

[Ace Gunner]

too many of your "star" players go 0 - 4 too often. you either need to get a real slugger in here that will help these guys get it str8 or you need to get these stars to replace a lot of those oh - fers with 1 - 4.

if you are going 0 - 4 as often as these guys, they need to be swinging for those fences and getting one to go more often. bottom line. not enough power from your power hitters.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Gotta love baseball. Squares up a linedrive and he sucks, but a blooper dropped would make him super clutch

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by PGM

Gotta love baseball. Squares up a linedrive and he sucks, but a blooper dropped would make him super clutch

I'm not sure how "squared up" that ball was. I'd had a few beers saturday night, but may need a replay for that one. It's not like Miggy made some unbelievable play to catch it.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by PGM

Gotta love baseball. Squares up a linedrive and he sucks, but a blooper dropped would make him super clutch

We needed a SAC Fly....His job was to get one up in the air to the OF, not pull one down the line for a double.

[BlackHelicopters]

Squared up?

[petegz28]

And WTF puts down a bunt with 2 outs and the go ahead runner on 3rd in the top of the 9th of a tie game???

SERIOUSLY!!!! That right there is enough to fire whomever made that decision.

[Nzoner]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

Yep the Royals gave that one away. Getz is just horrible- has been all year.

I'm not a Getz fan but would've never believed this...

http://scores.nbcsports.msnbc.com/ml...s.asp?rank=056

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by Nzoner

I'm not a Getz fan but would've never believed this...

http://scores.nbcsports.msnbc.com/ml...s.asp?rank=056

MOAR late game batting average.............