Addison Barger, for reasons understandable, seemed peeved.
As the Toronto Blue Jays’ pinch-hitter readied himself for the biggest plate appearance of his life — bases loaded with his club up 5-2 in the sixth inning of World Series Game 1 — he briefly glanced toward the visiting dugout and immediately recoiled in annoyance.
That’s because Barger saw Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts trotting onto the field. A pitching change was in order. The game teetered in the balance. A big swing from Barger would, effectively, end the contest. So Roberts did the prudent thing, yanking struggling right-hander Emmet Sheehan in favor of left-hander Anthony Banda.
That elicited, from Barger, a brief rolling of the eyes.
“I was just frustrated because it was taking so long,” he told Yahoo Sports after Toronto’s emphatic 11-4 victory on Friday. “Also, I thought I was gonna face the righty.”
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