Miller is a good dude with some crazy talent. It still stings to think that he is gone because he is the one that I did want to hold on to more than anyone else. It's just proof that you can't always get what you want. Now that he is gone he has been talking recently and giving us an inside look on what life was like for him as a Yankee.
When Aroldis Chapman came back from his suspension he was part of the most dominating bullpens ever - the three headed monster. For fans, we always knew what his role was and how the bullpen was supposed to operate with Dellin Betances in the seventh, Miller in the eighth and Chapman in the ninth but apparently Miller needed it in writing or something.
According to multiple sources, but we will use the NJ.com HERE Joe Girardi made a "mess out of the bullpen because at times he would have both Miller and Betances warming up at the same time which would make them unsure of which order they would be pitching in." Wow, that sounds like a catastrophic mess right? Warming up together must've been torture. Really? Come on, Miller I have to laugh at that one.
I can't think of a single time this season that Girardi ever used Betances before Miller. Not one. Maybe I am wrong, but again Girardi always had a formula in that binder of his and the bridge to Chapman was one of his favorites. I'm no Indians fan but I have seen Miller come out of the pen as early as the sixth inning before, and I am sure that he was sharing some bullpen space with someone else as he did. So how did Girardi "make a mess" of things by warming more than one guy up in the pen? Other teams do it too, but maybe he also needed that in writing.
Think back to once upon a time when Miller said he didn't care what role the Yankees had him in and I appreciated that. He is so talented that it shouldn't matter where he pitched because he could handle it. Baseball is not a science. We all know how unpredictable it is so a good relief pitcher needs to be ready for anything and everything....including warming up in the pen with someone else and going with the plan your manager gives you whether you agree with it or not.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Miller was still able to do his job no matter if Betances was sharing his space with him and he plays deep into October while the Yankees are golfing. Betances isn't in your space and Chapman isn't your teammate anymore. How about instead of making another "mess" you leave the comments about Girardi's bullpen management style alone and just turn your attention back to winning the World Series? That sounds like the better idea.
--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer & Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ