Ted, I can't agree that Washington should have gone with Lee in Game 4, or that it would have made a difference. His mates got shut out on three hits in that game, offering even less support than they did last night. If the Texas bats can't get pumped to hit a rookie in a game they had to win, you can't blame that on the manager.
As for the three-day rest issue, I think your point is valid. You needn't go as far back as you did to show that the elite can go on short rest. Three of the most special World Series to me featured starters that went on three days rest--twice: 1987 (Viola), 1991 (Morris) and 2001 (Schilling). All were World Series MVPs. I may becoming an old fart, but that isn't exactly ancient history.
In some respects I think Lee could and perhaps should have asked for the ball in Game 4--maybe his sacrifice in trying something he had not done before would have sparked his team. Still, he was coming off of a pounding, and I've heard nothing to suggest that short rest could in any way benefit him (unlike those rare sinkerballers who seem to pitch better when they're tired). Besides and again, his fellow Rangers should not have needed heroic inspiration when facing a rookie pitcher down 2-1, and it was the bats that cost them this series (and maybe the bullpen, at least a little), not the manager.
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