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During the 2020 season, Blake Snell was working as the Tampa Bay Rays ace. He led the club to the postseason after going 4-2 during the regular season with a 3.24 ERA.
Tampa Bay would cruise past the Toronto Blue Jays, and the New York Yankees, but was tested against the Houston Astros in the ALCS. During Game 6, Snell got the start but would be yanked rather quickly.
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In the fifth inning, with the Rays up 1-0, manager Kevin Cash pulled Snell with two men on and no outs, handing the ball to Diego Castillo. However, Castillo imploded, leading to the loss that left Snell feeling frustrated, per NY Post's Dan Martin.
"I felt really good. I felt locked in. I felt like I had a good game plan against that lineup. It's just frustrating. I wanted to go deep into that ballgame and I was very confident with everything that I had going," said Snell.
It is hard not to feel frustrated when you leave the game with a lead and see it taken away in an instant. Snell felt he could have gone deeper, but that was not up to him.
"Even with the walk and thew ground ball, I still felt very, very, very, very confident that I was going to get through that lineup," said Snell.
Tampa Bay would battle back after that loss and win the deciding Game 7 and reach the World Series. Unfortunately, Snell would have a similar experience during that series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kevin Cash had Blake Snell on a tight leash during the 2020 season
The Rays made it to the World Series despite the head-scratching decision to pull Blake Snell in the ALCS against the Astros. He got the start in Game 6 against the Dodgers and was cruising.
Tampa Bay had a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning, and Cash decided to pull Snell on 73 pitches. They handed the ball to Nick Anderson, who gave up two runs, leading to the Dodgers taking Game 6 and the series.
It has been a decision that has haunted Kevin Cash and plenty of Tampa Bay fans over the years. It was not until this season that Snell was allowed to go past the eighth inning for the first time in his career, which is truly baffling.
