PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 22: Manager Bob Melvin #3 of the San Diego Padres looks on prior to game four of the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on October 22, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Bob Melvin, what would you say you do here?
With the Padres leading the Phillies by one run in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 5 of the NLCS, San Diego’s manager sat on his hands.
Melvin opted to let his right-handed relief pitcher, Robert Suarez, face left-handed hitter Bryce Harper. The former NL MVP smacked a two-run home run over the left field wall to give the Phillies the lead.
Why didn’t Melvin bring left-handed relief pitcher Josh Hader into the game in that spot?
“Bob Melvin not using Hader for Harper there is insane,” one fan tweeted.
“PATHETIC MANAGING THE LAST 2 GAMES, ESPECIALLY TODAY. IT WAS ALWAYS HADER AGAINST HARPER. ALWAYS,” one fan added.
“Bob Melvin should be fired. Holy cow, what a disaster,” another fan added.
“And season on the line, Hader up, and Bob Melvin stays with Suarez? Jesus. Such mgr malpractice. Haha,” one fan added.
The Phillies are now three outs away from getting to the World Series, where they’ll likely face the Houston Astros, who are up 3-0 on the New York Yankees.
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