World Series Game 6: Quick hook of Rays’ Blake Snell backfires, and Twitter fries Kevin Cash

Blake Snell was, as they say in baseball, shoving. He was dominating the Dodgers in a game his Rays needed to win to stay alive in the World Series.

Then he screwed up: He gave up a hit. And just like that, Snell was out of the game. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash removed the none-too-happy left-hander after 5 1/3 shutout innings and 73 pitches in an elimination game. Cash trusted his vaunted bullpen the get the final 11 outs. 

WORLD SERIES 2020: Live updates, highlights from Game 6

Problem is, that bullpen got no outs before the Rays had lost up the lead and put themselves nine outs away from going home without a title.

Cash called on Nick Anderson, one of his best relievers in the regular season, to face the top of the Dodgers’ order: Mookie Betts, Corey Seager and Justin Turner. Anderson entered the game with a 5.02 postseason ERA. But LA did just enough to make Cash look like an idiot.

Betts started by lacing a double down the left-field line, sending Austin Barnes — who knocked out Snell with that aforementioned hit — to third. With Seager up, Anderson threw a wild pitch  to allow Barnes to score the tying run. Then he got Seager to chop a ball to first baseman Ji-Man Choi, who threw late to the plate as a flying Betts slid across with the go-ahead run.

Tampa Bay limited the damage to just those two runs, but Twitter was left to wonder why Snell couldn’t be trusted just this once to face LA’s lineup a third time.