apparently Joe Maddon never learns

We all saw Game 3 of the 2008 World Series, right?

To sum up, J.P. Howell hit a Phillie in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied. Maddon brings in Grant Balfour. Balfour and Dioner Navarro pilot the failboat on the next batter with a wild pitch/error combination, getting the winning runner to 3rd. Maddon decides to have Balfour intentionally walk the next two batters as well as bringing in Ben Zobrist as a 5th infielder, bringing up bases loaded for the craptacular-hitting Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz promptly lays down an infield hit that Evan Longoria doesn’t have enough patience to see if it rolls foul, and it’s Game Over.

That was awful enough, but then I remember that Maddon’s done this sort of stupid managing before. Shawn Camp gives up a double to Ichiro…and promptly gets pulled. (It’s Ichiro, he gets hits over 1/3 of the time; giving up hits to Ichiro is not a sign of fail.) Seth McClung gets put in, Jose Lopez has Fun With Sacrifice Hits and gets Ichiro over to 3rd. Maddon makes McClung walk the next two batters to bring up Richie Sexson. (McClung can walk guys on his own, dude, he doesn’t need encouragement. Anyway.) Sexson was not being a quality hitter at all in August 2006, but there is one thing that Sexson could do–hit homers. McClung was good at giving up homers. You put the two together and there is only one result: Hot Grand Slam Action! (Both McClung and Maddon expected a ground ball. Oops.)

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