The Yankees’ decision to relieve Deivi Garcia in favor of left-hander J.A. Happ was meant to be a surprise tactic that worked in their favor, but instead Happ allowed four runs in 2.2 innings en route to a 7-5 ALDS Game 2 loss to the Rays.
The plan left many second-guessing manager Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman, and even Happ himself did not sound too pleased with the strategy from the very beginning.
“I’ll let Aaron [Boone] speak to that,” he told reporters after the game.
Happ acknowledged he would have preferred to start the game, but he also was not going to use it as an excuse for his poor performance.
“All things equal, yes [I would have preferred to start],” he said. “Having said that, and this is important, I want to repeat: when I’m in there you’ve got 100 percent of me. I gave it what I had. I wasn’t worrying about when I was coming in at the time. I was trying to focus and trying to execute and trying to pitch.
“They know how I felt about it,” Happ added on a follow-up . “Ultimately, I pitch when I pitch. You got me. There was no hesitation and no dwelling on what was going on. I was focused on trying to perform. I wish I would have done a better job.”
The 37-year-old was also making his first appearance since Sept. 25, but proved to be at his best on a regular schedule through the rotation. In six starts before his final regular season appearance, Happ posted a 1.93 ERA.
“I’ve been here for two years, and if I’ve made an excuse for my performance in the last two years, anybody can speak up,” Happ said. “I just think that hasn’t happened. I didn’t perform. I’m frustrated that I didn’t and I’m not going to make an excuse now for why that happened. Just plan to be better.”
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