The firestorm was expected.
Buck Showalter opted to keep Zach Britton in the bullpen in the bottom of the 11th inning, inserting Ubaldo Jimenez instead. The end result was Jimenez giving up a three-run home run to Edwin Encarnacion on a walk off that sent Birdland into a complete state of shock.
And then, the hate started.
“Why is Britton not in the game?”
“Why did Nolan Reimold pinch hit for Hyun Soo Kim?