Bobby Valentine: Joe Girardi wasn't 'courteous'

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Bobby Valentine was on his best behavior for the first Yankees-Red Sox matchup March 13 in Tampa, saying little before and after the game.

Last night he stirred things up a bit.

The Red Sox manager accused Joe Girardi of not being "courteous" in taking his team off the field after Boston tied it at 4-4 -- on a suicide squeeze -- in the bottom of the ninth.

Girardi, who used five pitchers, signaled to crew chief Tim Tschida that the Yankees were done because they were out of pitchers.

"They had plenty of pitching," Valentine told reporters. "Probably too long of a ride. They could have known that going in. They had plenty of pitching."

Girardi, unaware that Valentine was making his comments, said afterward that he had D.J. Mitchell, who made the trip, throw a side session, making him unavailable. There were 12 pitchers listed on the Yankees' travel roster, though with a split-squad game Friday, Girardi said, "We have a long day [Friday] and we need pitching. I don't want to run out."

Valentine also was upset because he had righthander Clayton Mortenson warming up in the ninth for extra innings.

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"I don't care about not playing," he said. "It's just, why do I have to warm up my pitcher who's trying to make a team come in in a tie game against the Yankees and maybe help him make a team and instead he has to walk off the mound and take a shower? That's just not very courteous."

Valentine wasn't done. "Usually you go over and say I don't have any more," he said. I have 10 [pitchers]. I don't know. I haven't been around in a long time. Joe knows better than I. I guess you just walk off the field."