Torey Lovullo Speaks on Game 3, Walker, Pham, and More
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been blessed with a stable point in the organization stemming from the manager spot. They've not had to find a new manager in quite some time unlike many other MLB teams. The connection between General Manager Mike Hazen and Manager Torey Lovullo is unlike many others in the MLB. It's allowed Lovullo to manage the best way he can without fear of repercussions or firing. This has proven to be a great combination this year as Lovullo has led the D-backs to the World Series.
During his press conference, Manager Lovullo spoke about Christian Walker's elite defense, attitude, and his lack of production at the plate during this postseason. The D-backs best power hitter has been in a slump, though he has shown signs of breaking out of it with a base hit in the 9th inning last night, and some hard-hit balls over the past few games.
Speaking on his defense, "I mean, his glove is made of gold, right? And I think he's going to be strongly considered for another one this year. But that came with a price. There's a lot of hard work and a lot of blood, sweat and tears and some freckles that he's left on that field to prep for those moments. I was amazed at the play he made yesterday. Everybody knows what it's like you go to field the ball and we all can go back to that time when it takes a ricochet and goes in a totally different direction. That was athletic. He was prepared for the unknown. He didn't take anything for granted and he made a great bare-handed play. Those are the little things that he just instinctually is able to do."
Way back in 2017, the D-backs got Walker off of waivers and plucked him into Triple-A where he won Player of the Year. However, he still had to sit behind Paul Goldschmidt and never stopped trying to get better. As Lovullo states, "He didn't waste his time, he got better. We even tried to put him in left field so we could get his bat into the lineup...Goldy gets moved...We had the idea that Christian was going to get all the lefties and Jake [Lamb] was going to get all the righties...Once Christian got his opportunity, he exploded and took off. That to me is what stands out more than anything else because I asked these guys whether it's prepping for a play that you don't know when it's going to happen...Christian made something happen that was not handed to him...it's led him to this situation right now."
Tommy Pham had the chance to get five hits and go 5-for-5 in Game 2 of the World Series before Lovullo pulled him for a pinch hitter in Jace Peterson. That ruffled some feathers of fans, but it turns out that it was Pham's idea to have Jace pinch hit for him. As Lovullo came out and said "This was to me a true team moment. Tommy Pham came to me and I know that he said so I'm going to openly say, he came to me and said, I need you to get my boy [Jace Peterson] an AB. And I said, Are you sure? 100 percent sure? And I gave him some contingencies. I said if it's 7-1, that's the only score I'll allow it to happen. 7-2, lefty-right, I'm going to reconsider it and I'll circle back to you. We all know what happened. But this was a moment where it was a teammate loving a teammate to give him an opportunity. He took what mattered most to him personally, number one on the list, and said, it's more about the team and my teammate at this moment. That spoke volumes about what that clubhouse feels every single day."
Lovullo wasn't aware that he robbed Pham of a potential historical moment, but "Pham said 'I need my boy to get an at-bat in the World Series. He'll remember this for the rest of his life. You may or may not use him in another role, but right now, I want to step aside for him.'"
The team got back to Phoenix around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Lovullo admitted to not sleeping until after 5:30 because he was "thinking about the entire game. I went through it from start to finish. I got to my house about 4 o'clock and I was up for the next hour and a half energized and excited."
The D-backs and Manager Lovullo don't care whether the roof is open or closed for the World Series and that it's out of their hands. He said that the MLB is in charge of that and that the stadium has no say otherwise.
The D-backs will once again be led Manager Torey Lovullo on Monday night for Game 3 of the World Series. They will be sending Brandon Pfaadt to the mound to face Max Scherzer of the Texas Rangers. The series is currently tied 1-1.
