NEW YORK - Charlie Manuel is in one of those grooves a manager finds as rarely as a completely contented roster. Nearly every move he makes plays out pretty much the way he envisioned it.
Take Raul Ibanez's adventures in the first two games of this World Series, which is now tied up at 1-1 following the Yankees' 3-1 Game 2 triumph last night.
In the Series opener Wednesday, the Phils' manager decided to make Ibanez his designated hitter, even though it was clear his regular leftfielder would have preferred his customary position. Ben Francisco, Manuel said, was more mobile.
Still, Ibanez got over his disappointment and validated Manuel's decision, his two-run, eighth-inning single the most significant hit in what would turn out to be a 6-1 Phillies win.
Last night, before Game 2, with a flu bug limiting his options, Manuel again pondered what to do with his leftfielder and his DH.
This time, with Greg Dobbs ailing, he called on Matt Stairs to DH against righthander A.J. Burnett. And he told Ibanez to find his glove and get back in left.
So, of course, Ibanez rediscovered his mobility, making a spectacular catch. He also doubled in his first and last at-bats and scored the Phils' first and only run on a single by - you guessed it - Stairs. It was the big swinger's first one-base hit since June 28.
Manuel's decision wasn't perfect. Stairs struck out against Mariano Rivera to end the game.
With the Phils ahead 1-0, a runner on first and one out in the second inning, Robinson Cano lined a Pedro Martinez pitch into the left-center-field gap.
Ibanez took off immediately in pursuit, laid himself out as the ball neared the ground, and snared it in his outstretched glove, just before banging his banged-up body into the turf.
"I wasn't really sure I could get to it," Ibanez said. "But I saw Shane [Victorino] peripherally. And I knew he had my back if I didn't get it. So I just went for it."
In the dugout, Manuel took off his cap, shook his head, and laughed as he turned to speak to bench coach Pete Mackanin, perhaps saying something like, "You can be sure Ibanez is going to tell me I made a mistake in not putting him out there for Game 1."
Before last night's game, Manuel and Jimmy Rollins both praised Ibanez.
"What can I say about [Ibanez]?" Manuel said. "He's hit 30-some home runs. He's knocked in over 90 runs. And he's just had a tremendous year for us. Not only that he loves to play. He fit right in with our club."
Not long before Manuel's response, when Rollins had been asked about Ibanez's impact in left, the shortstop's answer seemed to include a not-so-veiled shot at a longtime teammate, the departed Pat Burrell.
"There were less balls falling in the outfield," Rollins said of 2009. In the past, "teams were getting extra outs on balls that should have been caught. They were turned into outs this year. Although we were looking for a righthanded bat this off-season, just picking up a great hitter can't be overlooked. And the season he had, the production, especially prior to him getting injured, the man was a superstar."
Rollins acknowledged what Ibanez has refused to do this postseason – that abdomen and groin injuries have severely hampered the leftfielder since after the all-star break.
"Coming down the stretch, he still found a way to get big hits," Rollins said of the injured Ibanez. "Although his numbers fell off a little bit, he was still there when it counted."
Ibanez came up again when it counted last night, with two outs and the bases empty in the ninth inning, with Yanks closer Mariano Rivera trying to protect a 3-1 advantage.
This time, he doubled again to keep the game alive briefly for Stairs.
"Those are two tough pitchers," Ibanez said. "Burnett really had his breaking ball working. And he was throwing strikes. I just went up there and tried to do something with him."
Contact staff writer Frank Fitzpatrick at 215-854-5068 or ffitzpatrick@phillynews.com
Video: Inquirer's Bob Ford debates the Series
