Joe Girardi has been supportive of seven-inning doubleheaders and an expanded postseason format, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that the Philadelphia Phillies manager doesn’t hate the idea of a perhaps more drastic idea – a mercy rule.
Last week, six-time All-Star CC Sabathia went on an expletive-filled rant in response to the Yermín Mercedes-Tony La Russa controversy, suggesting that if you expect hitters to stop trying when you’re up by a certain amount of runs, baseball should just institute a mercy rule. Girardi – who managed Sabathia from 2009-2017 with the New York Yankees – doesn’t hate the idea in theory.