NEW YORK _ The reception was not unexpected, but in our view, totally unwarranted, given what was at stake. When Joe Girardi was introduced before Sunday night's Game 3, with the Yankees facing elimination, the boos rained down from every deck of the Stadium. If there was any show of support, the rogue applause was drowned out by the jeering.
Fans boo. That's their inalienable right. But this was an extraordinary circumstance, and we couldn't remember anything like such a display, before a playoff game no less. Whatever goodwill Girardi had mustered coming off the brilliant managing job in the wild-card game evidently had been erased in a matter of days, wiped away by the sixth inning he botched during the Game 2 loss back in Cleveland.
So does the white-knuckle, season-saving 1-0 victory over the Indians earn Girardi some degree of redemption? It should. After seven brilliant innings from Masahiro Tanaka, Girardi stuck with David Robertson for only two batters before asking for _ and getting _ a five-out save from Aroldis Chapman that sets up the Yankees for Monday's Game 4 in the Bronx.
Girardi himself admitted that he "screwed up" _ albeit a day late _ by not challenging that fateful pitch that really didn't hit Lonnie Chisenhall, only grazed the knob of his bat for what should have been a strike three into Gary Sanchez's mitt.
We all know what happened afterward. The Francisco Lindor grand slam, the Jay Bruce tying home run, the 9-8 loss in 13 innings. Here's something else that should be taken into account. It's not all Girardi's fault, and one mistaken non-challenge is no reason to end his decade-long tenure in the Bronx.
That possibility has been raised over the past few days because Girardi's contract is up at the end of this season, and Friday's blunder has cracked the window for plenty of anti-Girardi vitriol to seep through. Other than talk radio, and the grace of Twitter, it can be difficult to accurately take the pulse of a fan base, but Sunday night's loud outburst was easy to read.
There was nothing inconclusive about it. The fans were still angry at Girardi, and despite the entire Yankees team shoulder to shoulder on the first-base line, faced by the Indians at the other, they chose to publicly embarrass him.
Was this meant to be a one-off? Or does the Yankees' Universe really want him gone? We always assumed Girardi would be back, and believed that this 91-win season _ with a team that many predicted to finish in the middle of the AL East _ was the clincher for him. But you can bet the Yankees' front office took notice of Sunday's razzing, and at the very least will store it away for the negotiating table.
But it shouldn't sink him. Sensing blood in the water, reporters asked Girardi before the game if he wanted to be back as manager, a standard question with the team's playoff fate hanging on the night's outcome. Rather than give the standard response, as in the obvious yes, Girardi hedged, casting some doubt on what his intentions really are.
"I think an organization has to do what they're comfortable with," Girardi said. "And it may not always agree with the person that is either being fired or however it goes, but I think that's Hal's and Brian's decision, and whatever their decision is, I'll live with."
Maybe if these were George Steinbrenner's Yankees, the impulsive owner would have issued an advance-or-else mandate to Girardi after the Game 2 brain-freeze. But the more rational Hal does not take after his late father in that department, and GM Brian Cashman has a good working relationship with Girardi. Remember, this was supposed to a rebuilding season, essentially a freebie for a manager in his walk year, and Girardi defied expectations by piloting the Yankees to the playoffs.
That's got to matter way more than one blown inning, even it involves sabotaging a five-run lead during a very winnable Division Series game against the defending AL champs. Girardi understands he'll wear that one for a while. And the Bronx fans provided him with an aggressively vocal reminder Sunday night.
But he should also be back in pinstripes, if that's what Girardi wants at season's end.
