Joe Girardi cut his teeth as a manager in New York, so returning to the Big Apple recently was a bit awkward for him.
Girardi managed the Marlins for just one year until landing the Yankees job, serving as manager from 2008-2017. He accomplished a lot of success while there, but the team eventually moved on, looking for more of a new-age guy.
Their loss was the Phillies’ gain, however, as GIrardi spent some time working for ESPN, up until taking his talents to Philadelphia after last season’s disappointing results. Now, Girardi gets to take over, managing a roster loaded with stars.
He returned to Yankee Stadium for the first time since serving as manager on Monday, for an exhibition game. Although this time, fans weren’t in the stands. Here’s how he felt about it.
“That’s just somewhat awkward in and of itself because that’s not something I really did for 10 years,” Girardi said, via the New York Post. “I always came in through the garage, down the stairs, into the home clubhouse, and this, we came through the loading dock from center field, all the way around. That was different.”
It must have been interesting residing in the visitor’s dugout.
