Astros outfielder Chas McCormick defends Dusty Baker's decision to bench him: "I haven't really been playing that well"

Baseball is a team game, which is something that Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick understands. The 28-year-old was left out of the lineup for Game 3 of the American League Division Series by manager Dusty Baker.

Here's what McCormick said:

“Whatever lineup he throws out there, what's best for the team, best for us. I mean, he's right. I haven't really been playing that well lately. As much as I thought I wanted to be out there yesterday, I thought we played great. I thought we played awesome.” - @brianmctaggart

Although Chas McCormick admitted that he would have liked to have played, he knew that it was the right decision to keep him out of the lineup.

For McCormick, the victory is what is most important, something that the Houston Astros ended up walking away with. Even though McCormick was not in the lineup for Game 3, manager Dusty Baker has used him throughout the postseason, so it may not be long before he is back in the lineup.

"Baker also started Mauricio Dubón in center field over Chas McCormick, citing that McCormick had played 11 games in a row and was "struggling some." Dubón has never taken a postseason at-bat while McCormick had hits in each of the first two games of this ALDS." - @nflfree_streams

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Chas McCormick was an important member of the Houston Astros during their World Series run last year

One reason likely behind McCormick's rational response to being held out of the lineup in Game 3 is the fact that he and Dusty Baker went on to win the World Series last season. While this may sound like an obvious reason, McCormick proved himself to be an important depth piece for the club last season.

During the Houston Astros' World Series run last year, McCormick provided quality at-bats for the club, most notably during the ALCS against the New York Yankees. Chas McCormick was one of the team's key players during that series, racking up a pair of home runs during their sweep.