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MLBBy Sam Neumann on

Taking a page out of John Calipari’s book, Ron Washington elected to take zero accountability for a decision that he — yes, the manager of the Los Angeles Angels — made.

In the bottom of the eighth, with the bases loaded and the Angels trailing by a run, the veteran manager called for his newly acquired utility infielder to drop down a suicide squeeze. It was a peculiar decision from Washington, given that St. Louis Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero had just walked consecutive batters to load the bases.

But Luis Guillorme, who is trying to make a new impression on his new team, is going to listen to his manager. A former New York Mets and Atlanta Braves infielder, Guillorme is more known for his glove than his bat. But he’s also quite astute at bunting. So, in an attempt to get a run home during a lefty-lefty matchup, trying to avoid a double play at all costs, the squeeze play failed tremendously.

Guillorme could not make contact with a pitch several feet out of the strike zone, resulting in Zach Neto being tagged out at home.

He later struck out.

Instead of admitting his decision might have been a mistake, Ron Washington threw Guillorme under the bus.

The Angels manager said he didn’t want Guillorme to ground into a double play against a sinkerball-throwing left-handed pitcher as he was pressed in his postgame press conference.

“He can handle the bat,” Washington began. “He didn’t do the job. It wasn’t anything I did wrong. He didn’t do the job. I would’ve rather gone to the ninth inning with a 6-6 lead than have gone to the ninth inning the way we did. It didn’t work out.”

Guillorme didn’t get the job done, but his manager asked him to get the bunt down at all costs against a pitcher who couldn’t find the strike zone. That same manager said he would’ve wanted to go to the ninth inning with a 6-6 lead, even though No. 1, his team wouldn’t have been leading, and No. 2, they were down 7-6.

Reporters pressed Washington about how Romero’s wildness impacted Guillorme’s ability to bunt. Washington seemed confused by the term “wild” despite Romero issuing consecutive walks to Kyren Paris and Nolan Schanuel. By Guillorme’s at-bat, Romero had already thrown 13 balls out of 25 pitches and even received a pitch clock violation. It wasn’t exactly a clinic in pinpoint control.

“Wild? He was throwing the ball in the strike zone. Why are you making excuses?” asked Washington. “He was throwing the ball in the strike zone. He did not get the bunt down. Period.”

Well, excuses weren’t being made when the pitch that Guillorme failed to make contact with was a 1-1 slider that was in the other batter’s box. Romero’s wildness made it nearly impossible for Guillorme to lay down a good bunt. Most of the pitches he saw were balls, including the one he missed.

But Washington doesn’t want to hear any excuses and doesn’t want to take accountability. That’s a great combination.

To Guillorme’s credit, he handled the situation like a professional.

“I haven’t seen (what Washington said). He made a good pitch,” Guillorme said via Sam Blum, who covers the Angels for The Athletic. “I didn’t get it down. I’ve got to try to put a bat on it. That’s it.”

It’s notable that Washington’s initial comments deflect blame away from himself and onto Guillorme. This is especially perplexing considering St. Louis’ high-leverage reliever’s well-documented struggles with control throughout previous at-bats. Washington’s “he didn’t get the job done” excuse rings hollow in light of Romero’s inability to pound the strike zone consistently.

Perhaps a deeper look at Washington’s in-game decision-making is warranted. While Guillorme whiffed on a pitch outside the zone, that’s part of baseball’s inherent randomness. The onus falls on Washington to strategically navigate these situations, not scapegoat the very player he entrusted with a high-pressure bunt attempt.

That’s how you lose clubhouses. That’s not to say that Washington, one of the more respected baseball minds in today’s game, has already done so. However, a lack of accountability doesn’t bode well for any manager, especially when players are expected to be held accountable at their locker 15 minutes after making said game-changing mistake.

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About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann