D-backs fans livid as Torey Lovullo pulls Brandon Pfaadt during hot NLCS Game 3 start - "Stop listening to the computer"

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo may find himself in hot water after his decision to pull starter Brandon Pfaadt in the middle of his incredible NLCS Game 3 start on Thursday. Although these are the types of decisions where managers make their money, pulling a red-hot starting pitcher is never easy.

The Arizona Diamondbacks hosted the Philadelphia Phillies in the most pivotal game of their season. The D-Backs turned to rookie Brandon Pfaadt for the start, and he delivered a clean 5.2 innings, however, it was manager Torey Lovullo who brought his night to an end.

After racking up nine strikeouts in the greatest performance of his career, Pfaadt was taken out of the game before his third matchup against Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.

Even though fans were upset by Lovullo's decision to pull Pfaadt from the game, it was the perceived reasoning behind the move that really infuriated the crowd. The decision was likely made due to the often polarizing reliance on analytics.

If the numbers say that the current batter poses a threat the third time through the order, or if the pitcher struggles in a certain inning, managers will make the change. This is why fans were booing Torey Lovullo's decision to pull Pfaadt, who had recorded two strikeouts of Kyle Schwarber earlier in the game.

At the time Lovullo pulled Pfaadt, the game was tied 0-0 and the rookie starter had only thrown 70 total pitches. The low number of pitches and success he had had against not only Schwarber but the rest of the Philadelphia Phillies as well led to frustration with the decision.

Still, Arizona won 2-1 with a run in the bottom of the ninth, taking Lovullo off the hook.

Torey Lovullo is not the only manager who listened to the analytics, much to the chagrin of fans

One of the most polarizing introductions to the MLB in recent years has not been the pitch clock or the elimination of the defensive shift, it has been the introduction and emphasis placed on analytical data.

Although Lovullo's decision to pull Brandon Pfaadt came in a victory for the Arizona Diamondbacks, it has not always been successful this postseason. Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider was the target of angry fans after the team decided to pull starter Jose Berrios in the fourth inning of their wild-card game against the Minnesota Twins.

Berrios was dominating the Twins to that point; however, once he was removed, Minnesota came to life, eventually winning the game and eliminating the Blue Jays. It remains to be seen if Torey Lovullo will face the same consequence of listening to a computer instead of the baseball experience.