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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Ian Casselberry

Torey Lovullo Had Bizarrely Honest Answer to Coping With D-Backs’ World Series Loss

The Diamondbacks’ thrilling, improbable postseason run ended Wednesday night with a 5–0 loss to the Rangers in Game 5 of the World Series

Arizona got strong starting pitching throughout the series, but ultimately couldn’t match Texas’s timely hitting despite manager Torey Lovullo’s best attempts to find a solution. 

The effort was emotionally draining for Lovullo, which he expressed in a weirdly candid fashion to reporters after the Game 5 loss. Reporters may never get a response like this from a manager during the World Series ever again. 

“I want to run away and hide for a few days,” Lovullo said. “I want to go camping and just sit in the tent and suck my thumb and eat ice cream. Is that the weirdest answer you guys have ever had?” 

How many other managers would have a response like that? Lovullo has been frequently entertaining throughout the postseason, clearly relishing his team’s success and the attention it received. 

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was very honest about his reaction to losing the 2023 World Series.

Tony Gutierrez/AP

No one will likely be able to verify how Lovullo copes with the World Series loss if he follows through on his stated intention to go far off the grid. Fans will have to settle for imagining the manager reverting to infant tendencies and consoling himself with sugary treats while isolating himself from the grind of a long season. 

Otherwise, many can surely relate to shutting down after devoting everything to an effort to succeed. As funny as Lovullo’s remarks were, they also described a healthy approach to rebounding from disappointment. 

Baseball has often enjoyed colorful personalities from managers throughout its history. Think back to Tommy Lasorda, Billy Martin, Whitey Herzog, and Jim Leyland. Unfortunately, the emphasis on data and analytics has drained that from the sport in recent years. Lovullo might be bringing that back. 

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