Francisco Cordero had yet another poor outing last night (1 IP, 1 H, 2BB, 1 ER), though he ultimately closed out the victory over the Fishies. I know we’re all frustrated with Cordero, but his reaction to Mark Sheldon post-game made me like the guy a bit more:
“I have to stop walking people,” Cordero said. “I’ve got to do that or it’s going to be like that every time. I see how upset the fans are with me. I understand that. Every time I walk someone, that guy comes in to score. It’s not like I’m giving up a lot of base hits. It’s walks. I really don’t know what to say about that. It’s not my style. It’s not me. I’ve never been like that my whole career. I have to keep working and try to be better every time out.”
“I created that myself, walking people. I’ve got nobody to blame but myself. Putting me in that situation, putting the team in that situation and putting the fans in that situation, it’s why they’re upset with me right now. I’ve been walking too many guys. [The fans] have been great, unbelievable to the team. They’re coming out on the road, coming out a lot to the stadium. They want to win. Putting the fans in that situation is not fair.
Go read Sheldon’s entire post. I appreciate a guy who doesn’t make excuses and accepts responsibility. It doesn’t change the fact that he can’t get a 1-2-3 inning most nights, but it’s nice nonetheless.
Contrast that with Danny Graves’ reaction in similar situations (see here and here and, especially, here).