No. 2003.10.16 · Wild Card Era
Grady Little Leaves Pedro In
Boston led Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS by three runs. Grady Little visited the mound, left a tiring Pedro Martinez in, and the Yankees tied the game.
October 16, 2003, Yankee Stadium, Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. The Red Sox led 5–2 in the eighth. Pedro Martinez had already thrown well past 100 pitches and was laboring. The bullpen was up. Grady Little walked to the mound, talked to his pitcher, and left him in.
Derek Jeter doubled. Bernie Williams singled. Hideki Matsui doubled. Jorge Posada doubled home the tying runs. The game went to the eleventh, where Aaron Boone hit a walk-off homer off Tim Wakefield. Little's contract was not renewed. The Red Sox won the World Series the next year with a different manager, which turned this night into the preface of a revenge story. On the night itself it was a lead, a tired ace, and a visit that did not include a pitching change.
Leaving Pedro in was not irrational. He was Pedro Martinez. It was still the decision, and the next four hitters were the evidence.
Related entries
The Bartman Game
Five outs from the World Series, a fan deflected a foul ball. The Cubs' shortstop then missed the double-play ball that would have ended the inning anyway.
Chicago Cubs · Florida Marlins
No. 1964.09.21
1964
The Phillies' 1964 Collapse
Philadelphia led the league by 6½ games with twelve to play. Gene Mauch kept running his aces out on short rest. The Phillies lost ten in a row.
Philadelphia Phillies · Cincinnati Reds · St. Louis Cardinals
No. 2001.10.31
2001
Byung-Hyun Kim, Two Nights
Byung-Hyun Kim gave up a game-tying homer in the ninth on consecutive nights of the 2001 World Series. Arizona won the series anyway.
Arizona Diamondbacks · New York Yankees