This is Tony Vitello’s first season as manager of the San Francisco Giants and it hasn’t been pretty so far. At 15-24, they’re currently tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in the NL and the second-worst in the MLB.
Saturday’s humiliating loss was symbolic of their ugly start. The Pittsburgh Pirates came into San Francisco and dominated the game 13-3.
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The Giants were subject to a healthy dose of booing from their home fans and Vitello called out his players’ effort when asked about the boos postgame.
“What would you do? They paid for their ticket or, at the very least, even if it was free, they chose this over everything [else] … Maybe your walls are painted orange and black and this is the team your whole family, for generations, has supported and you’ve got a lot invested,” Vitello said.
“So you want something in return or, at the very least, a good effort — maybe execution here and there … but I think it got to the point where it wasn’t an acceptable effort.”
Some coaches catch heat for dodging such a question or making too many excuses in response, but Vitello could be veering too far in the opposite direction.
As a rookie manager with no prior experience, calling out the effort of the players this early in the season could be very impactful. But this could mean it has a positive impact.
After all, the Giants are in a very difficult stretch in which they’ve lost nine of their last 11 games. Vitello’s comments have the potential to light a fire under the team and help pull them out of this cold stretch.
It could also make matters worse by creating a divide between himself and the players while giving fans more reasons to boo their squad.
It’s not often that a manager so bluntly calls out players’ efforts like this, so it’s hard to predict if it will have any meaningful effect on the team.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
