On Tuesday night or Wednesday night, baseball will have a World Series champion, and either way, the outcome will be historic.
If the Cleveland Indians don't win their first title since 1948, then the Chicago Cubs will win for the first time since 1908.
That much is certain.
What's also certain, even before the champion is determined, is that Terry Franconca -- win or lose -- has become the star of the Series.
Should the Indians win, it's likely that either stater Corey Kluber or super reliever Andrew Miller will win be named Series MVP, but the case could be made that the real standout of the Series has been Francona.
Working without two of his three best starters, Francona has maneuvered the Indians to within a game of the title. He's reconfigured his rotation in such a way that Kluber pitched twice in the first four games, and should it be needed, will start Game 7, too.
That artful bit of maanging, borne of necessity, means that Kluber stands to become the first starter since Curt Schilling to start three times in a Series.
Francona's real mastery, however, has do with his bullpen management, and specifically, his use of Andrew Miller. Miller has pitched in all three Indians' wins, contributing 5 1/3 innings.
At the first sign of trouble -- and as early as the fifth inning -- Francona has summoned Miller to turn back the Cubs, utilizing him as a bridge reliever for multiple innings, linking him from Cleveland's starter to its closer.
Miller has pitched 25 1/3 innings this post-season and allowed one earned run on nine hits while fanning 39 opponents. And while Miller has unquestionably been the Indians' postseason star, it's Francona who has deftly deployed him.
There have been other unconventional moves, too. Wanting to keep DH Carlos Santana in the lineup in the three games at Wrigley, Francona twice had Santana playing left field, and once, had him play first base instead of Mike Napooli.
The results? Santana compiled a 1.434 OPS in those three games and contribute three hits -- including a solo homer - in the start at first, a game in which he otherwise wouldn't have participated.
Boston Red Sox
Through it all, Francona has been his usual self-deprecating self, regaling the media with tales of middle-of-the-night room service calls for $44 worth of ice cream, and playfully taunting his father, Tito, for not being able to win a World Series during his career in Cleveland.
All of which is completely consistent with his reputation.
In his time spent in Boston, Francona was never as relaxed as he was in the post-season, which seems counter-intuitive.
At time when the games mean the most and the stakes are highest, it might seem logical that he would be the most stressed and under the most pressure.
Instead, Francona was almost carefree in October, at at time when his players needed him to set just such a tone.
If the manager didn't feel panic, his players, taking their cue from him, could be similarly loose.
It's hard to place a value on someone who can have that calming effect on an entire clubhouse.
Francona has a special gift for boiling the most pressure-packed games down to their simplest form, by saying things like: "We'll show up and try to beat a really good pitcher (Tuesday) and that's what we always do. Nothing needs to change.''
Simple. Direct. Honest.
Those are the hallmarks of Francona's managerial style, one that has him on top of his profession, win or lose Tuesday night -- and if need be, Wednesday night, too.