Yost relieves Gagne from closer duties
Brewers manager won't commit to one reliever to finish games
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Quote:
MILWAUKEE -- Brewers manager Ned Yost on Sunday announced he is relieving Eric Gagne of his closer duties and will "mix and match" his relievers at the ends of games.
"It's not a problem," Yost said. "We got it covered."
Gagne, who allowed the go-ahead runs in the ninth inning Saturday and took the loss against the Cardinals, told reporters afterward he does not "deserve that ninth inning right now."
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Check that last quote: Gagne can't stand the pressure.
Quote:
"You can't explain to the average person what a closer goes through," Yost said. "It's hard. You're out there all by yourself.
"If he closes that game out, well, 'That's what you were supposed do.' If you don't, it's like, 'Ehhhh!' Everybody goes nuts."
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Bold and italics added.
Yost is right.
Can you picture what it must be like for Gagne, to once have been the best closer in the game, and now to have lost both the skill that made him great and the confidence that carried him through the toughest pitches of a game? Can you imagine what it must be like to fail completely on a national stage once a week, with replays shown on ESPN the next morning for those who might have missed your humiliation?
I don't know how many millions of dollars it would take for me to accept that role. I do know that, right now, I feel sorry for the man.