Showalter regrets not using Britton in wild-card game

Baltimore Orioles skipper Buck Showalter continues to carry the weight of the most criticized managerial decision of his career.

Tied in extra innings with the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League wild-card game last month, Showalter opted not to call on closer Zach Britton despite the left-hander having posted one of the most dominant regular season's in major-league history.

Toronto would eventually win the game 5-2 when Edwin Encarnacion blasted a walk-off, three-run home run off Ubaldo Jimenez in the 11th inning, with Britton watching in the bullpen.

"Oh yeah, I regret it," Showalter told Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network during the American League Manager of the Year awards in which he finished third. "Looking back - I feel bad that he's had to answer the questions too - but this is a guy that should win the Cy Young, should be in the top voting for MVP. He's a 10- or 12-game difference maker on our club.

"He had the greatest year in the history of the major leagues for a reliever and not to get him in the game - there were decisions to make in the fifth, in the sixth, in the seventh, in the eighth, in the ninth, in the 10th - and if I had known how it would turn out I would certainly have done it differently. You need to get someone like him in the game, and there's no bad place to get him into the game."

Showalter said at the time that Britton was available, though no one had been pitching better than Jimenez. Britton, meanwhile, said it was frustrating not to get into the game.

Britton would be named the AL reliever of the year three weeks later.