OPINION: Phillies' Rob Thomson Lost World Series by Pulling Zack Wheeler in Game 6
Two years ago, in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled starting pitcher Blake Snell in the sixth inning.
The Rays were leading 1-0 and Snell was cruising at 73 pitches. The move would backfire, as the Dodgers quickly scored two runs on Rays relief pitcher Nick Anderson, and go on to close out the Rays 3-1, winning their first World Series since 1988.
Cash's decision was scrutinized at the time, and has been scrutinized since.
Saturday night, Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson made a decision that will not age well, pulling starter Zack Wheeler from Game 6 of the 2022 World Series in the sixth inning at 70 pitches, and garnering similar results to those that Cash received.
Like the Rays, the Phillies were leading 1-0 in the sixth, and their starter had been dominant.
The Phillies had just received a jolt of momentum minutes earlier, when Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run to put his club in front 1-0, with Philadelphia 12 outs away from forcing a Game 7.
Wheeler cruised through the first five innings Saturday night, allowing just two hits, one walk, and no runs.
Wheeler opened the bottom of the sixth inning by hitting Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado with a pitch. On the next play, the Astros traded base runners as Jose Altuve grounded into a fielder's choice, as Maldonado was thrown out at second base. Then, Jeremy Pena came up with a clutch, one-out single, advancing Altuve to third.
After Pena's single, Thomson had seen enough, and called upon left-handed relief pitcher Jose Alvarado for a lefty-lefty matchup against Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez.
The decision would prove costly, as Alvarez tattooed a 450-foot home run to dead center, putting the Astros up 3-1.
Thomson chose to go to his bullpen, instead of riding his ace who was dealing.
In the case of Blake Snell, the Rays had perhaps the best bullpen in baseball in 2020. The Phillies' bullpen, although improved from where it started at the beginning of the season, was not the team's greatest strength.
Wheeler and Aaron Nola are the best pitchers on the Phillies' roster. The two played a pivotal role in getting the Phillies to this point, and Saturday night, Wheeler was dealing.
A common trend in Major League Baseball right now is to pull your starting pitcher after working through the opposing team's lineup twice. The advanced analytics say that the opposing lineup will fare better against said starter the third time it faces him.
Advanced analytics often ignore the human element, however.
Until recently, pitchers were typically left in games until they were no longer effective, or were showing signs that they were no longer effective.
When a pitcher is dealing, as Wheeler was, an opposing lineup is often happy that the pitcher that is dominating is no longer in the game. An opposing lineup often feels like it catches a break and has an opportune time to strike, as the Astros did Saturday night.
The postseason is also a different animal from the regular season. When a pitcher like Wheeler is locked in, in a high-pressure situation in a road atmosphere, I personally believe he has a greater chance of pitching out of the jam that he created for himself, than a reliever coming in cold does.
Each pitcher needs to be locked in, especially in a road playoff game. It can take a batter or two for a pitcher to really settle into his groove.
Wheeler may have put runners on base, but he had settled in. Alvarado inherited runners on first and third, with no room for error.
A problem with 'bullpening' in the postseason, is that it requires every single pitcher that is used to be locked in, in a groove. Often times, the pressure gets to guys. If one pitcher is settled in, the longer he pitches, the less of a need there is for other pitchers to get settled in.
Furthermore, Wheeler was the best pitcher available for the Phillies and he appeared to have a lot left in the tank. His velocity hadn't dropped. He had allowed a total of three hits. Entering Saturday night, he a 2.67 ERA this postseason. The Astros caught a break the moment Thomson pulled his ace from the game.
Had it not been for Wheeler's near-flawless first five innings in which he did not allow a run, the Phillies would not have been in the game, much less, led the game.
Thomson's decision to pull Wheeler was the only noticeable blunder from a postseason in which he managed his bullpen masterfully.
Of course, Thomson's decision to pull Wheeler was not the sole reason the Phillies lost the series. The club won just one of three home games at Citizens Bank Park, when it could have closed out the Astros at home earlier in the week.
The Astros were a better team. They won nearly 20 more regular season games.
Thomson did an excellent job in 2022, taking over a 22-29 club in June, and coming within two wins of a World Series. He put on a master display of bullpen management throughout the postseason as the Phillies inched closer to their first title since 2008. Unfortunately, however, his decision to go to his bullpen early Saturday night, did not pan out in his favor, and the Phillies' offseason begins Sunday.
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