Joe Torre
Joe Torre
Joseph Paul "Joe" Torreis an American professional baseball executive, serving in the capacity of Major League Baseball'schief baseball officer since 2011. A former player, manager and television color commentator, Torre ranks fifth all-time in MLB history with 2,326 wins as a manager. With 2,342 hits during his playing career, Torre is the only major leaguer to achieve both 2,000 hits and 2,000 wins as a manager. From 1996 to 2007, he was the manager of the New York Yankees, whom...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth18 July 1940
CountryUnited States of America
It's nothing unusual that pitchers and catchers from time to time have issues. It's the emotion that goes along with playing this game.
When he goes to the mound and says something to a pitcher, he's speaking from experience. He's telling the pitcher what he's supposed to feel like, because he's been out there in key situations. He has the ability to get that across.
Our pitchers are trying to keep the game close, basically.
They get men on base, they can run, ... And if you look at the formula, it's the same that Minnesota has used to win ballgames, and the Angels have used. They play good defense. Their outfielders overlap. If you're ever going to get them, it's going to be their pitching, and we haven't had success against their pitching. ... Are they in our heads? How can I say no, when you haven't had success against certain pitchers and you face them?
Pitchers scare me to begin with. I don't know how much work pitchers have done.
He does things that drive hitters nuts. I've never seen a pitcher get so many ground balls back to the mound. That's all about movement.
Pitchers make adjustments, and it's up to the hitters to readjust and sort of tweak what they do.
We just want to get home, ... Not many guys have had their families with them the entire time and we want to get back.
When a guy like that goes out there you feel you have the edge.
We had them on the ropes early and couldn't put them away. That's our fault.
We certainly need him in the lineup, whichever way he's better for us. Whichever way is easier for him, that's the way we'll have to go.
I've talked to him all year about thinking small, and big things will happen. When you're fighting for a pennant, everybody here will remember that at-bat (on Saturday) rather than a two-run home run when you're up by six runs. I don't think he would have done that last year because he would have been trying to do something bigger.
I've talked to Bernie and I think he's comfortable with it. Emotionally, he is fine with it. It is just that the last day of July was the day it had to be done. It was in his contract.
It was uncomfortable sitting in on that press conference. It must have been 10 times more uncomfortable for him. With that all behind him, I think he's going to enjoy spring training.