Just because Jorge Posada wasn’t surprised doesn’t mean he was happy.
On Sunday, manager Joe Girardi let Posada know that Jose Molina would catch for A.J. Burnett in the ALDS, which begins tonight in The Bronx vs. the Twins.
“I just hope we win that game,” Posada said. “That’s all. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
YANKEES-TWINS MATCHUPS
Girardi is starting Molina because of the “rhythm” he believes Burnett shares with him. The last six times Burnett’s pitched, Molina’s caught him, and Burnett’s gone 3-1 with a 2.92 ERA.
“They’ve been in a real good rhythm when they’ve been working together,” Girardi said. “And we just felt we would keep it that way.”
A dour Posada called it a “manager’s decision.”
“It’s not like I didn’t see it coming,” he said yesterday.
“We talked about it on Sunday and he was OK,” Girardi said. “I’m sure he’s disappointed. Jorge would want to play every inning. I don’t blame him.”
Posada has started 77 of the Yankees’ 78 playoff games this decade. The last time he didn’t start a Yankees playoff game — Game 3 of the 2005 ALDS vs. the Angels when John Flaherty caught Randy Johnson — the catcher who subbed for him was caught a little off-guard.
“I remember there was talk about it. But I didn’t think it was going to happen. There was no way they were going to take the bat out of the lineup,” Flaherty told The Post yesterday by phone. “But when Joe [Torre] made the decision, I had to make sure Randy had a big night, and he didn’t.”
Johnson was blasted in an 11-7 loss, serving up five runs in three innings. And if there was pressure on Flaherty four years ago, there will now be pressure on Molina for Burnett’s starts in Game 2 and possibly Game 5.
Flaherty admitted Posada wasn’t thrilled about the decision in 2005.
“When I first took over [during the season], I told him I didn’t want our friendship to get in the way. He said the only thing he wanted was for [Johnson] to get going and winning,” Flaherty said. “He was very supportive in the playoff game. But he was not happy.”
The other issue is whether Posada will DH when Burnett pitches, or whether he’ll be on the bench.
“Our plans are [Hideki] Matsui is probably going to be our DH most of the time,” Girardi said.