Joe Girardi lost his father last weekend:

Joe Girardi acknowledged Thursday that he did not want his father’s death to be a distraction. He added that he did not want news of his father’s death to be public because talking about it would make it “even harder” to deal with.

“I had a tremendous relationship with my father,” Girardi, growing emotional, said Thursday before the Yankees hosted the Baltimore Orioles in Game 4. “Wherever he went, I went. When he stopped, I ran into him. And I’ve always said, if I could be half the husband and father my dad (was), that would be special.”

Girardi said he decided to continue managing after learning of his father’s death because Jerry Girardi taught him “to finish the job at hand.”

The elder Girardi suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. My condolences go out to Joe and his family.