Joe Girardi handled Ryan Dempster's intentionally hitting Alex Rodriguez during Sunday night's game as any manger would, using explict language to express his anger about the umpire's bad call.
The Boston Red Sox stadium goers cheered after A-Rod takes the hit, as his teammates watched. It was the spark that ignited a wild fire in the New York Yankees' dugout, and the team came back to the field ready to win, and did with a score of 9-6.
Instead of Yankees retaliating, C.C. Sabathia came back to throw some nasty fastballs, change-ups, sliders and sinkers. Though it may not have been the Yankees' best game ever, viewers could tell Dempster instantly regreted hitting A-rod when he came back to eventually hit a home-run off of him.
Though the Yankees rallied together, it did not soothe Girardi's anger with the umpires and how A-Rod is being treated. During a post-game interview with the YES Network, the manger expressed his disapproval of how Dempster's intentional hit was handled.
"The one thing you can't do is start changing the system because maybe you don't like it," Girardi told the network. "Ryan Dempster has been a player rep and has been very involved with the union. This is what they decided to do [allow players to play during appeals]...[Dempster] didn't hit Nelson Cruz. He didn't hit Francisco Cervelli."
Girardi's argument is valid. Though many do not agree with Rodriguez's actions and his on going legal battles with his team, MLB's rules and regulations allow him to fight their rulings.
The umpire handled the situation poorly on Sunday, and Girardi believes Dempster should be punished for his actions.
"You can't start throwing at people. Lives are changed by being hit by pitches...you don't take the law in your own hands. We're going to skip the judicial system? My Cousin Vinny," Girardi told YES reporters.
What do you think about the obvious intentional hit on A-rod? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
