by Nic Larson

Created on: December 11, 2008

The most important thing that a manager can do when preparing for the World Series is setting his pitching rotation. Determining if he can go with three or four man rotation is a major factor if the series reaches a game six or seven. As seen in 2008 with the Philadelphia Phillies, having your best pitcher take the mound as often as his arm will allow gives you the best opportunity to win. In the Phillies case, star pitcher, Cole Hamels dominated the World Series, shutting down the Tampa Bay Rays offense, earning himself the prestigious MVP award.

The next thing a manager will do is to go over the opposing teams scouting report, looking both at hitters and pitchers tendencies. This gives the team an idea of what the other team likes to do in certain situations. Based on tendencies and the opposing teams pitching rotation, a manager can then begin putting together his lineup. The lineup will strongly depend on whether they are facing a right of left-handed pitcher, allowing the manager to combat with either a right or left-handed dominated lineup. Matchups are sometimes thrown out the window though if a team has a player that is riding a hot streak. Managers will often ride the hot hand until they cool off. Another aspect that managers look at is veteran leadership. They like to go with players that have been there before and have experience in these pressure situations.

When it comes down to the game itself, managers will typically play more smallball then they did during the regular season. This consists of bunting, stealing, hit and runs, and playing for one run at a time rather then the big inning. Managers are not afraid to use both their benches and bullpens as they do not have to conserve anyone for the next series. It is not uncommon to see pinch runners or relievers used to face just one hitter if necessary. By grabbing the lead early, it puts more pressure on the opposing team. Also, with the caliber of pitchers that are competing, many times just one run can win a ball game.

No matter how much preparation and scouting the manager does, the results ultimately come down to how the players perform between the white lines. A manager can put players in the best situations to succeed, but they can't play the game for them. It's funny how games often are determined by one call or a single bad hop that can decide a team's fate, leaving managers scratching their heads.

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