TORONTO -- It's kind of a reworking of an age-old question -- who quit first, the New York Yankees on Joe Girardi, or Joe Girardi on the New York Yankees? -- but unlike the classic chicken-and-egg conundrum, the answer to this one came directly from the manager's mouth.
Asked why he had gone to Blake Parker in the seventh inning of a game his team absolutely, positively, had to win Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, Girardi replied: “He has the most experience and has probably been pitching the best in a situation where you’re down 3-0. If it’s closer, I probably go to Adam [Warren], but knowing that we’re going to need these guys a lot if we’re going to make a run, you’re hoping he can get through the seventh, you get a couple runs then maybe go to Adam, but it just didn’t work.”
Let that sink in for a moment. "If it's closer ...?''
Which led to what seemed like a natural follow-up: "Joe, do I understand that you’re saying 3-0 is no longer considered a close game?”
Which led to a tortured explanation by a tortured manager who has tried mightily to coax a few more victories out of a deeply flawed roster, which led to Girardi abruptly stalking out of the news conference without taking another question, muttering a disparaging remark about the reporter who asked the question on his way out. (Full disclosure: I was the reporter.)
Here's exactly what he said: "No, Wally. But I’ve been throwing Adam multiple innings. Parker has been throwing pretty good for us. He didn’t tonight. I could have went to Adam and then maybe I don't have him tomorrow. We have some issues, in a sense. We don’t have a starter Monday. I’m just trying to piece it all together.”
Then he said, "I'm done, I'm done. That's it,'' and left the room.
What exactly he was saving his bullpen for was never made clear, because as everyone knows, there is no tomorrow for the Yankees. Not if they lost today.
"Things are kind of slipping away at this point," said Brett Gardner, always a rational voice in the Yankees' clubhouse. "We're not out of it, but definitely not in a good position. It’s frustrating.''
But unlike his manager, Gardner was not willing to give up. "I think until you’re six back with [five] to play, or whatever it is, you’ve still got a chance. Crazier things have happened. We’ve just got to win.''
That has been increasingly difficult for the Yankees ever since they blew that heart-stopping game Sept. 15 at Fenway Park on Hanley Ramirez's walk-off home run off Dellin Betances, their two wins against the hapless Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida, this week notwithstanding.
Actually, it's probably just as well that Girardi left when he did, because it was only going to get worse from there. As he left, another reporter was setting up a question that began with the observation that Friday night's 9-0 loss officially eliminated the Yankees from the American League East race. Your thoughts, Mr. Girardi?
After that, he was sure to be asked about starting Billy Butler at first base, a decision that cost his team two unearned runs -- and essentially the game -- in the first inning when Butler bobbled a routine grounder. And about how the Yankees had Francisco Liriano on the ropes in the top of the first, loading the bases but failing to score. And about how he had suddenly decided to abandon the use of the young kids on his roster, who temporarily at least had injected a dose of energy and enthusiasm into his clubhouse and created the impression that the Yankees were, in fact, playoff contenders.
But it's doubtful Girardi could have come up with satisfying answers to any of those questions, or to the most pertinent question of all: With the Yankees now four games out of the second wild-card berth and four teams standing between them and a trip to the playoffs, was there really any legitimate hope for this team to play beyond the final game of the regular season on Oct. 2?
That is not to be confused with October Baseball, of course, and the answer to the question was already self-evident.
And besides, the manager had revealed his true feeling about his team when he admitted, in a roundabout way, that he considered a 3-0 lead too much for it to overcome.
As soon as Girardi admitted going to Parker -- who allowed the Blue Jays to bust it open with four runs in one-third of an inning -- because he wanted to save his effective bullpen guns (Warren, Tyler Clippard and Betances) for another day, he was telling you he considered this game a lost cause.
And it is hard to reconcile a team with the proud history of the New York Yankees -- the Bronx Bombers, for George's sake -- conceding defeat when trailing by a measly three runs.
"You don’t want to be down 3-0, but you’re definitely within striking distance," Gardner said. "Get a couple of guys on base, get somebody up to the plate, get a hold of one, and next thing you know you’ve got action. You never want to get into a hole like that early in the game, but three runs -- you can get three runs pretty quick.''
The manager didn't seem to think so, and his offense proved him right. The Yankees managed only three hits all game, all off starter Liriano. Two were by Gary Sanchez, who belted a ground-rule double that one-hopped the left-field fence in the first inning. Liriano walked the next two hitters but struck out Chase Headley to put down the threat.
The third inning was even worse, when the Yankees got the first two runners on base -- Gardner via an error and Jacoby Ellsbury on a single, the Yankees' only non-Sanchez hit -- but went nowhere when Sanchez flied out, Butler struck out and Didi Gregorius popped out. The Yankees managed two more baserunners all night -- a Sanchez single leading off the sixth and a walk to Aaron Hicks in the seventh -- but could do absolutely nothing with them.
It was still only 3-0 to that point, but as far as the manager was concerned, it could have been 300-0.
"I know that we lost another day, it seems like most of the teams [the Yankees are chasing] are winning or won," Girardi said before his curtain line. "We’re going to have to win a lot of games.”
But there aren't a lot of games left, and it no longer seems even the manager believes the Yankees are capable of winning them.
