Ross Atkins ‘surprised’ when José Berríos was pulled, says John Schneider will return as Blue Jays manager
The Jays GM was asked about the heavily-scrutinized pitching change in Game 2 of the wild-card series at his end-of-season presser.
Blue Jays fans weren’t the only ones who didn’t expect a dominant José Berríos to be pulled early in Game 2 of the wild-card series.
General manager Ross Atkins said he was “surprised” when manager John Schneider decided to pull his starter after three dominant innings and 47 pitches.
“I was surprised he was coming out,” Atkins said in a press conference at the Rogers Centre on Saturday. “But I understood the strategy and understood it would be uncomfortable. I thought it was a very courageous decision that had a potential outcome that people would be disappointed.”
Despite the decision in question after being swept by the Minnesota Twins in the American League wild-card series — Toronto’s third first-round sweep in the last four years — Atkins confirmed that Schneider would return as manager for the Blue Jays next season.
“It has been a very difficult couple of days,” Atkins said. “The fact that we’re not getting ready to play the Houston Astros is extremely painful for me. This has been one of the most frustrating times in my career.”
At the centre of frustration for fans is the decision to pull Berríos, who got the hook after three shutout innings and was replaced by starter Yusei Kikuchi, who allowed two runs to score in relief. The Twins won the game 2-0.
The decision has been heavily-scrutinized and brought questions of who gets the final say on in-game managerial decisions.
Atkins said Schneider meets with his coaching staff prior to games and the decision was made exclusively by them.
