Does A.J. Hinch wish he would have used Gerrit Cole in Game 7?

Hinch: 'The game beat us'

HOUSTON – Many fans questioned if Game 7 of the World Series would have turned out a little different if A.J. Hinch used pitcher Gerrit Cole. 

At a press conference on Friday, a reporter asked Hinch if wished he would have used Cole in Game 7, he responded, "You know what I wish we would have done was win a home game. That would have changed everything. And we couldn't do it. And that's because of the Nats, I think this World Series is, it's tough to put it all on one thing. I think the Nats outplayed us and at the worst time for us."

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Hinch said there were hundreds of decisions that he could have made.

"The what-ifs are endless. I don't know what Gerrit Cole would've brought in Game 7. Maybe he would've had his moment," Hinch said. 

Overall, he said he's not going to second-guess the process they had in place and he thinks the team had a really good plan. 

"Anytime as a manager you make a decision in the seventh inning or later and it doesn't work, the assumption is the other side would have worked out right ... so if I look back, do I wish we had a little bit better opportunity with runners scoring positions, I wish that things would have gone perfectly with the pitching style, I do," Hinch said.

He said it's not because of the pitchers, it's because he failed as a manager. 

Fans are also wondering if Cole, who is a free agent, will stay with the Astros for next season. A new video showed Cole being asked to do an interview right after the Astros loss to the Nationals in Game 7, and his response was, "Do I have to? I'm mean, I'm not an employee." 


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