The Cleveland Indians opened the World Series with an impressive win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night but the American League champions almost didn’t get there.

During Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Indians looked like they were in trouble. Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer had injured his finger a few days before in an accident and the wound reopened during the first inning. Manager Terry Francona had to face a nightmare scenario in the opening inning by coming out to the mound and pulling his starter out of the game.

But Francona, who led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series championships, knew how to keep his team loose and keep their focus on enjoying the experience. Francona looked up to the scoreboard and saw an ad for a 50-50 raffle which had already pulled in $82,000 from fans in the stands. Turning to first baseman Mike Napoli, Francona pointed out the large pot of money which could be won in the raffle.

“Nap, we gotta get in on that,” Francona told his first baseman.

In Game Six of the 1995 World Series, pitcher Tom Glavine took to the mound for the Atlanta Braves and pitched a masterpiece, going eight innings and giving up only one hit to the Cleveland Indians.

There was a lot of weight on Glavine’s shoulders that October night. After having spent much of the 1980s in the cellar, the Braves had come close twice in the early 1990s to winning a World Series but had fallen short both times. But, as Glavine headed off the mound in the eighth inning with a 1-0 lead, he turned to manager Bobby Cox and asked to be taken out of the game, much to the displeasure of the more than 50,000 Braves fans in attendance.

Glavine realized he had run out of gas against the Indians. But, over the years, he had built up a strong relationship with Cox, earing his manager’s trust. Glavine knew what he was capable of better than anyone else and gladly stepped aside as closer Mark Wohlers came in to pitch. After his strong performances in two games, Glavine was named the World Series MVP, a high point for a pitcher who always knew how to evaluate himself.