If winning cures all problems, then Joe Girardi has been absolved from any wrongdoing.
Before the Yankees’ skipper and his players celebrated a series-clinching 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians in Game 5 of the ALDS at Progressive Field on Wednesday night, Girardi’s departure from the ballpark last Friday left an unpleasant aftertaste. With his team ahead 8-3 midway through Game 2, Girardi’s reluctance to challenge a hit-by-pitch call on Indians’ hitter Lonnie Chisenhall (which if reviewed, would’ve been ruled a foul-tip strikeout) prompted an epic rally from the defending AL champions, and arguably led to New York’s gut-wrenching extra-inning loss which placed them in a demoralizing 0-2 series hole.