Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria was asked during his postgame teleconference Thursday about “playing 3D chess” with his bullpen in Game 3 of the American League wild-card series against the Athletics in Oakland, Calif.
Having never played 3D chess, I can’t say if it’s more difficult than managing a 10-man bullpen in a nine-inning game.
But I do know it was checkmate for the Sox season when he used four relievers in the first three innings, including his starter, Dane Dunning, for all of 15 pitches in an eventual 6-4 loss.
“The reality was, believe it or not, we had talked about the potential of the scenario that came up in that (first) inning,” Renteria said.