Girardi’s birthday is spoiled
Another birthday loss for New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
With a mid-October birthday, Girardi hopes to always be involved with baseball on that day. He would like to have better outcomes.
On the skipper’s 53rd birthday Saturday, the Yankees suffered their second 2-1 loss against the Houston Astros in less than 24 hours to go down 2-0 in the AL Championship Series.
Girardi said before the game that still playing is a good birthday present. Of course, winning would make for a much more celebratory day.
The loss to the Astros came five years after New York lost another ALCS Game 2 3-0 at home to Detroit in 2012 on the day he turned 48. The Yankees were swept in that series, and have now lost seven consecutive ALCS games.
While Girardi hadn’t gotten any actual presents yet, he figured his family would have something to help him dress nicer when he got home after traveling back to New York for Game 3 of the series. He said his wife and kids get tired of seeing him in jeans and tennis shoes.
GONZALEZ’S HIGHLIGHT COMES AFTER GAME >>
Marwin Gonzalez capped his big game in Houston’s win over the Yankees in Game 1 with an even bigger moment.
Soon after wrapping up a game where he made a run-saving outfield assist in Houston’s 2-1 victory, he dashed to the hospital to be there for the birth of his third child.
Manager A.J. Hinch said the boy was born to Gonzalez and his wife Noel in the early morning hours on Saturday. It’s his second son and his oldest child is a daughter.
“Pretty good night for him,” Hinch said.
Hinch added that Gonzalez dropped his wife off at the hospital before heading to the game and returned there when it was over.
“He’s been playing every game knowing it was pretty close,” Hinch said. “They thought the other day while we were in Boston for Game 3 and 4 that they would have the baby while he was gone. So she was pretty miserable.”
In Friday night’s game the Astros led 2-0 when Greg Bird singled to start the fifth and Matt Holliday reached when Jose Altuve dropped his slow bouncer to second for an error. Aaron Judge singled with two outs and Gonzalez, throwing with such force that he fell to the ground, made a 97 mph one-hop throw to catcher Brian McCann, who tagged the sliding Bird.
It would have been a huge play for anyone, but was even more impressive considering Gonzalez is primarily an infielder, who has been playing in left field in the postseason so Hinch can get his bat in the lineup after he hit a career-best .303 in the regular season.