I'm not sure where we were the last time we visited the San Diego Madres. It has been a season long train wreck. Too ugly to look at to horrific to ignore. Always fun to laugh at.
Apparently, the latest is that with five games to play the Padres basically had to win all of them and have the two or three teams ahead of them pretty much collapse. Like win 5 and have them all lose 3-4-5. And hope for a tie or whatever. You've seen this scenario many times every year with various sports and teams. End of the year everybody's trying to cram their way into the last spot in the playoffs.
Enter Josh Hader Actually. Refuse to enter. Josh Hader.
Yup. Leading 1-0 in the bottom of the 8th the padres send word down to the pen that they want Hader to get the last out of the 8th and pitch the 9th. 4 out save. Unusual during the year but not in the stretch run or playoffs. Kenley jansen did that a lot. Hader has had a bounce back a year this year, and the last time I checked, had a 1.19 ERA. In other words, he is back to being his dominating self after having a really rough stretch post Milwaukee Brewers trade last year.
so what happened? How did he do? We will never know because he refused to enter the game. Yes, he told his manager he was unavailable refused to warm up, and I don't think commented, but I heard that because he had not done at four out save in a year or so. He was not willing to try it then.
And of course San Diego had to rush another guy into the game. Who promptly gave up two runs in the Padres lost 2 to 1. Effectively killing their season, wiping out the last faint hope of the playoffs, and sending Mr. Josh Hader out to the free agency market. Hader claimed that his impending free agency had nothing to do with the decision, but in the same sentence mentioned arm health.
Ladies and gentleman. I give you perhaps the greatest disappointment in the history of baseball. Your 2023 San. Diego. Mmmmmmmaaaaaaadres!!!
This story is fing nuts.