Still feeling the squeeze of criticism two days after the Angels' season came to an abrupt and painful end, Manager Mike Scioscia on Wednesday vigorously defended his decision to try what some viewed as an unnecessary gamble in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the American League division series.
With the potential go-ahead run at third base and one out, Scioscia had Erick Aybar, one of his team's best bunters, attempt a suicide squeeze. Aybar couldn't connect on Boston reliever Manny Delcarmen's 2-and-0 pitch, and catcher Jason Varitek tagged out Reggie Willits as the pinch-runner retreated toward third base.
Aybar grounded out and the Red Sox scored the series-clinching run in the bottom of the inning, triggering a torrent of outrage among Angels fans who thought their manager should have tried a more conservative approach given the circumstances.
"If you're afraid of the downside of any situation, you're never going to achieve," Scioscia said. "I thought it was our best chance right there to get that run in and get this game to Frankie [Rodriguez] in the bottom of the ninth. . . . There was a very high probability that that ball was going to be put down to where Reggie walks home. That was the basis of my decision.
"It was an extremely high-percentage play given the count, the guy that was on base and the guy that was in the batter's box. And I'll tell you what, if it happens again, we're doing it again and Erick's getting that bunt down. I can guarantee you that."
Scioscia said Aybar, who led the team with nine sacrifice bunts, was taking his inability to execute one at a crucial time extremely hard.
"A lot of focus is on that one play, and certainly we're not putting that play on Erick because we're not where we are if that kid didn't do what he did all summer before he got hurt" in August with a hamstring injury, Scioscia said. "This guy played better shortstop than anyone in our league."
The notion that the suicide squeeze was a bad call because Boston had anticipated it, Scioscia said, would only be valid if the Red Sox "had pitched out twice and caught us."
Scioscia said had the count been 2-and-1, he wouldn't have called the squeeze because the probability of a pitchout or a difficult-to-hit pitch increased.
Scioscia has been criticized for previous playoff moves, including the decision to bring starter Jarrod Washburn out of the bullpen to pitch to Boston's David Ortiz in Game 3 of the 2004 AL division series. Ortiz hit a walk-off homer to secure a Red Sox sweep.
