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Originally Posted by Cannon Shell
Why was it a bad call by Scioscia, especially with Aybar at the play. Because it didn't work? It was a disgraceful lack of execution by Aybar on a great pitch to bunt. Blaming the manager for a guy not making contact on a bunt in that situation is silly. It was obvious from the first 2 pitches and even the pitch he "attemped" to bunt that they werent giving him much to hit and would have walked him to set up the double play with the painfully slow Anderson coming up. Of course the fact that the Angels had no lefthander in the bullpen to face a lefthanded batter in the 9th was something that the "blame the manager" crowd always overlooks.
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Your not saying that you disagree with Shields being on the mound in that situation I hope, the guy was money all season for them and against the SOx as well. The ball down the right field line was misplayed horribly and certainly wasn't tatooed. Seeing eye single for a run is hardly the guys fault. Soscia is an excellent manager who tends to press a bit much at times but certainly is smart and creative. The squeeze was actually a great call and typical of how the Angels have run all season. If you watch the replay the execution of the bunt was atrocious. The teaching is to get your bat parallel to the ground and actually "catch" the ball with it. The motion he used trying to execute that play was a "jab" and the bat was properly positioned. The Sox might have beaten the best team in the American League this year.