Joe Torre knows Yankee fans, empathizes with Joe Girardi

Two seasons removed from managing the New York Yankees, Joe Torre still can’t distance himself from his former employers.

Torre shook his head when told of how fans at Yankee Stadium chanted “We-want-Torre!” in the ninth inning of the Yankees’ 7-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. The loss dropped the Yankees to 13-13.

“Those fans are impatient,” Torre said. “I enjoyed the 12 years. They weren’t always happy with me.”

Torre expressed sympathy for Joe Girardi, who replaced him as Yankees manager.

“I feel for Joe because this kid’s a good manager and he’s going to be a better manager,” Torre said. “We’re still talking about the first month of the season. There’s so much baseball to play. There’s a lot of talent on that club and they’re going to win their share of games. You certainly have to have a thick skin to do what we do for a living.”

Torre said he wasn’t sure of how controversial star Alex Rodriguez will be received by Yankees fans when he returns from hip surgery. Rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in February and a recently released book claims he might have starting using steroids in high school.

“I’d like to believe the situation that they’re in right now, struggling to put anything together at this point in time, I think the fans will welcome him,” Torre said. “That’s a feel. Any time you get beat up -- and I think Alex has been beat up -- I have a sense the people of New York like to lift you up and dust you off. And then if you don’t perform the first month, they’ll let you know they’re not happy with that.

“That’s pretty much what they did with Jason [Giambi]. And I have a sense they’re going to do the same thing with Alex.”

Beimel is back in L.A.

Joe Beimel shook his head and laughed about the coincidence on being activated on the day his new team visited his old one.

Beimel, who signed a one-year, $2-million contract with the Washington Nationals late in spring training, had been on the 15-day disabled list because of a hip flexor.

But the left-handed reliever admitted that when he thought this winter about returning to Dodger Stadium, he imagined doing so as a member of the Dodgers.

“If I had been offered something close to what I got, I would’ve signed in a heartbeat,” Beimel said.

The Dodgers never made him an offer because of the trouble he had against left-handed hitters last season. They batted .278 against him, up from .188 in 2007.

Beimel said he feels no resentment toward the Dodgers, going as far as saying he would like to be open to playing for them again.

“I love it here,” he said. “This is my favorite place where I’ve ever played. It’s definitely something I’d like to do.”

Meanwhile, he’s carving out a place in the Nationals’ bullpen. Beimel posted a 1.23 earned-run average in eight games prior to getting injured, well enough that the Nationals are considering using him as a closer.

From the opposing dugout, Torre offered this endorsement of his former player: “He’s not afraid to do that. If they decide to use him as the closer, he’s not going to waffle.”

Long games

The extra pitches Dodgers hitters are taking are resulting in longer games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Before Wednesday, nine-inning games involving the Dodgers lasted an average of three hours and four minutes, the longest in the National League.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com