Suffice to say Blake Snell did not agree with a big decision of his manager’s Friday night.
In Game 6 of the Tampa Bay Rays’ American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros, Rays skipper Kevin Cash yanked Snell from the game in the fifth inning. At that point in the game, the Rays were up 1-0, while the Astros had runners on first and second with no outs.
Snell was visibly miffed because he had been pitching well. And he had reason to disagree, as reliever Diego Castillo would proceed to allow all the runners and more to score, with the Astros taking a one-run deficit and turning it into a 4-1 lead.
Although Snell conceded that Cash usually makes the right calls when it comes to taking out a pitcher, he didn’t necessarily agree with this one.
“It’s frustrating because I know, just give me a shot to get out of that,” Snell said after the game, via MLB.com. “I really feel like how I was pitching that game and going through that game, I felt that’s what would’ve been best for us, in my mind. But again, Cash is always right. It’s just something that’s very frustrating. …
“That’s what he thought was the best call and decision,” Snell said. “But for me, it’s just very confusing, frustrating. I want to be out there. I want to be that guy that takes the team deep into the ballgame. So it’s just very frustrating.”
The Astros went on to win 7-4 to become the only team other than the 2004 Boston Red Sox to force a Game 7 after going down in the series 3-0.
Game 7 will be played Saturday night at 8:37 p.m. ET.
