Cash roasted for pulling Snell, Rays' season ends in Game 6

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Blake Snell turned away from his manager and yelled an expletive as Kevin Cash headed to the mound. In control all night, the Tampa Bay ace no longer had the ball in his potent left hand.

Soon, the Rays no longer had a grip on the lead, either.

The team that reached the World Series leaning largely on analytics was undone by the data — and a decision sure to become part of October lore.

With Snell still seething, wobbly reliever Nick Anderson was on the mound when Mookie Betts' double started a sequence that led to two quick runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a championship-clinching 3-1 victory in Game 6 on Tuesday night.

“I guess I regret it because it didn’t work out,” Cash said, later adding, “personally, I thought Blake had done his job and then some.”

Said Snell: “At the end of the day, I see both sides."

"Just me, the way I felt that game and what he was able to see what I was doing in that game. I don’t want to be taken out of that game,” he said.

The Rays’ pitching philosophy focuses on not allowing starters to face hitters for a third time in a game, and Snell has had trouble that way before. But the 2018 AL Cy Young Award was dominant this time, and steaming when he handed the ball to Cash, regarded as one of the bright, young minds in the majors.

“I totally respect and understand the questions that come with it. Blake gave us every opportunity to win. He was outstanding. They’re not easy decisions. I didn’t want Mookie seeing Blake a third time,” Cash said.

While Anderson was warming up, the baseball world was heating up to skewer Cash.

From the harsh words of New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard to the more measured reaction of longtime reliever Jerry Blevins, the sentiment was the same.

“So...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Cash-roasted-for-pulling-Snell-Rays-season-ends-15680137.php