Earlier this week, Joe Girardi found himself in hot water after he revealed that he purposely withheld information about Bryce Harper’s hand injury in order to gain what he called “a competitive advantage.”
Needless to say, the Phillies manager received quite a bit of backlash for the move. While it’s customary to protect the privacy of players when it comes to injuries, Girardi implied that he did so just to deceive opponents.
But, the controversy didn’t stop there. After the Phillies 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday, Girardi arrived at his post-game press conference with another interesting comment for the press. He was asked just one question, about the decision to take Jean Segura out of the game after he pinch-hit.
“Just so you guys know: We’re going to approach this different. I’ve talked to people in our organization. Just a manager’s decision. And I’m not going to share anything – who’s available, who’s not available – because I think it’s somewhat unfair to us,” Girardi said, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic. “Just life if you were to do something, you’re not going to necessarily share it with a rival reporter. So that’s the way we’re going to handle it. Just a manager’s decision.”
Girardi’s comments certainly make it sound like he’s going to be keeping information about the Phillies more private moving forward. Gelb reported no other comments from the press conference and tweeted that fans “should no longer expect any info” from the team.
Although Girardi might hope to keep the team’s inner workings private, time will tell what the commissioner’s office says. Postgame press conferences have been a major part of Major League Baseball over the years, so the Phillies manager may not get his wish for a competitive advantage.
Needless to say, the Phillies manager received quite a bit of backlash for the move. While it’s customary to protect the privacy of players when it comes to injuries, Girardi implied that he did so just to deceive opponents.
But, the controversy didn’t stop there. After the Phillies 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday, Girardi arrived at his post-game press conference with another interesting comment for the press. He was asked just one question, about the decision to take Jean Segura out of the game after he pinch-hit.
“Just so you guys know: We’re going to approach this different. I’ve talked to people in our organization. Just a manager’s decision. And I’m not going to share anything – who’s available, who’s not available – because I think it’s somewhat unfair to us,” Girardi said, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic. “Just life if you were to do something, you’re not going to necessarily share it with a rival reporter. So that’s the way we’re going to handle it. Just a manager’s decision.”
Girardi’s comments certainly make it sound like he’s going to be keeping information about the Phillies more private moving forward. Gelb reported no other comments from the press conference and tweeted that fans “should no longer expect any info” from the team.
Although Girardi might hope to keep the team’s inner workings private, time will tell what the commissioner’s office says. Postgame press conferences have been a major part of Major League Baseball over the years, so the Phillies manager may not get his wish for a competitive advantage.
