We know the Astros cheated in 2017 and 2018—how effective was it? Is there evidence it continued into 2019?
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gains a tactical advantage for Game 7 by having Clayton Kershaw available in relief.
Chase Utley helped the Dodgers get it done in Game 6. That it wasn’t pretty doesn’t matter in the World Series.
Like your parents asking about the best friend in high school with whom you haven’t had contact in years, some fans see only the Kershaw that they remember.
Beyond just the known variables of the office dynamic, managers have to grapple with the specter of the known unknowns.