Have you ever wondered what Royals manager Ned Yost is thinking when he puts in pinch-runner after pinch-runner, rather than maybe hitting for the guy who was arguably the league’s worst hitter last year?
Well, you’re in luck.
According to the Kansas City Star’s Andy McCullough, here is what Yost replied when asked why he didn’t hit for Alcides Escobar with the tying run on second and two outs in the eighth inning in Wednesday’s game against the Tigers.
“Until these guys show trends, that’s when you start doing it,” Yost said. “It’s way too early to start getting in guys’ heads about pinch-hitting. Especially when you’re struggling as a team offensively. We were going to pinch-hit for Escobar in the ninth inning, if it came up that the score was still 1-0, a chance to hit a home run. But not in that situation.”
So, remember, it’s way too early to get into the head of a bad hitter by hitting for him in the eighth inning of game two, but it’s just fine to do it in the ninth inning of game two, except by that time you’ve run through your entire bench anyway because you’ve pinch-ran for Salvador Perez, Omar Infante and Billy Butler.