Yankees Manager Joe Girardi Wants MLB to Ban the Shift

Andrew Marchand, writing for ESPN:

If New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi were the commissioner of baseball, he says he would ban the shift.

“It is an illegal defense, like basketball,” said Girardi, referring to defensive three seconds in the NBA. “Guard your man, guard your spot. If I were commissioner, they would be illegal.”

I like Girardi a lot — he’s a good manager, and a smart guy (he has an industrial engineering degree from Northwestern). But this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard him say.

The rules have never said where the fielders need to stand, and infield shifts date back to the 1870s. Beating the shift is simple: Hit ’em where they ain’t.

★ Wednesday, 27 April 2016