The problem is that there was just absolutely no reason for the change to be made. The lefty-lefty matchup is overanalyzing the situation and shouldn't be used as a justification for such a move. Wilson was throwing gas on the mound and has been performing at this level in these types of situations all year long.
Hurdle knows this, having seen Wilson pitch against his team five times this year with four saves and ten strikeouts. There is just no question that if a guy is doing that well in situations where he is used to pitching, he should stay in the game, no matter who is coming up to bat. No manager would take out a hitter who was 2-for-2 on the day and replace him with a struggling hitter, no matter how big the name was.
Hurdle brought in Wagner to help save his own appearance, too. Let's face the facts: If the game was going to be tied up and a save was to be blown, who would he rather have do it? Wilson or Wagner? If Wilson blew the save, Hurdle would be ripped for relying on a young rookie and people would demand answers for why he didn't bring in Wagner. If Wagner blew it, the blame would solely rest on his shoulders, and Hurdle would be in the clear.
Whether or not Wilson would have come back to pitch in the ninth to close out the game, had it stayed a 3-2 game, is up in the air. In fact, it is unlikely that it would have been the case, and Wagner probably would have been summoned to pitch the ninth. That would have been an acceptable move on Hurdle's part. To take Wilson out of the game with two outs in the bottom of the inning while on a roll was just a terrible decision.
Wilson will come back to San Francisco having made a serious statement in the All-Star Game and, even though he was removed to soon, there is no question that players and managers around the league know who he is and will be sure to give him the respect he deserves now.
The decision ultimately cost the National League the game and home field advantage in the World Series. While the National Laegue had its chances later in the game, this small decision to take out Wilson changed the World Series and provided the American League with one more small advantage, as if they needed it. It is unfortunate to see that a decision in a game, so otherwise meaningless, could have such a big impact.
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