Yankees fans boo manager Joe Girardi before ALDS Game 3

Mike Oz

Can you think of a time when the manager of the home team got booed during introductions at a playoff game? Well, it happened to New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi before Sunday night’s Game 3 of the Yankees’ American League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians.

Goes to show, fans in the Bronx are still not over Girardi’s controversial non-challenge in Game 2, which led to an Indians grand slam and ultimately a five-run comeback as the Yankees went down 0-2 in Cleveland.

Here’s the scene when Girardi was introduced Sunday night, both on TV and from the stadium:

The issue, if you missed it, was Girardi electing not to challenge a hit-by-pitch in Game 2 that looked like it might have hit Lonnie Chisenhall’s bat knob instead of Chisenhall himself. After the game, Girardi said he didn’t want to mess up his pitcher’s rhythm with a two-minute challenge. If he’d known the future — a grand slam that turned an 8-3 game into an 8-7 game — Girardi surely would have changed his mind.

Girardi was criticized around baseball. Even closer Aroldis Chapman showed some social-media displeasure for his manager. The next day, Girardi admitted he “screwed up.”

Fans at Game 3 obviously agree. But they left in a much better mood, as the Yankees won 1-0 to stave off elimination.

Joe Girardi greets Terry Francona before Game 3 of an American League Division Series baseball game, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Joe Girardi greets Terry Francona before Game 3 of an American League Division Series baseball game, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – –

Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!