SPRINGFIELD, Pa. — Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Mike Scioscia has three World Series rings and two American League Manager of the Year awards. The former Dodgers catcher (1980-1992) and Angels manager (2000-2018) is also a Delaware County native. He grew up in Morton and attended Sabold, ETR and Springfield High School.

Scioscia is, unsurprisingly, an inaugural member of the Springfield Area Educational Foundation’s Athletics Hall of Fame (1992) and Achievers Hall of Fame (2012). “I thank God every day for being able to grow up in such a tremendous area with everything you wanted, whether it was sports, academics, recreation, anything,” Scioscia says of his childhood. “The opportunity kids have in the Delaware Valley is one that I hope they make the most of because it doesn’t happen everywhere.”

Having won the Fall Classic as both a player and manager, Scioscia certainly knows what it takes to get there. He took the time to answer some questions about this year’s Phillies squad and their chances to return to baseball’s biggest stage. The Phils open their season on March 30th.

What is it like to play in the World Series?

Mike Scioscia: As you’re going through it, there’s a lot of adrenaline and excitement. You have to suppress that so you stay in the now. Baseball is a sport where, when you’re swinging or throwing, it’s not just adrenaline that gets you by. In fact, it can work against you.

When you’re going through it, there’s that natural excitement of, here we are. We’re in the playoffs. One more win and we’re getting to the championship series. One more win and we’re getting to the World Series. You never really get the chance to step back and enjoy it.

As you put years behind a championship or opportunity to play in the World Series, it starts to mean more and you start to enjoy all the memories of that happening.

The Phillies added Trea Turner, Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto this offseason. How do you think these all-stars will mesh with the squad?

Scioscia: Rob Thomson is a tremendous communicator; he’s got a great way about him. He was able to get a group of guys to believe in themselves and get to the World Series last year, and I think that he’ll do much of the same. He’ll focus on getting players to understand what their role is. The Phillies will be a better team, though they’ll miss Bryce for the first half of the season.

I think it will come down to how well they hold leads, which points to the bullpen, so that’s one of the reasons why they ended up making their move. They got some guys in the bullpen that started to pitch to their capabilities.

We just talked about Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto, both pitchers. You were a catcher for the Dodgers. J.T. Realmuto has some adjusting to do this season with the Phils’ pitching rotation and bullpen changes. How long does it take for a catcher to feel comfortable with a new staff?

Scioscia: It starts when they’re throwing their bullpens in spring training. As a catcher, you start to talk to pitchers about their stuff–how they feel, where they think pitches will be used–and you give them feedback on what you see. What are their out pitches? What options do they have to set hitters up? How does each pitch work off each other?

It’s communication. I don’t think it takes that long. It’s a process that you have to commit to. I really don’t know J.T.; I just know that he’s a tremendous talent. Everything I’ve heard points in the direction that it’ll be a quick study. These guys will be able to bring a game plan out there, and he’ll be an asset for any pitcher that he’s catching.

Along those lines, Rob Thomson said he likes the idea of a “floating closer.” Does that create challenges?

Scioscia: No. You adapt to the situation and what the game’s score is, what runners are on base, the hitter’s tendencies, everything. You already have an understanding of what these pitchers can do. It’s not so much for the catcher.

As a manager, you do what you have to do with your bullpen. If you have one stud closer, the pyramid starts with him. You work your way down to your setup guys and your middle guys. Who’s going to hold leads? Who are you going to use when you have deficits? You start to line guys up.

If you don’t have that pyramid, the only option is to approach it like Rob is. If one guy totally steps up and shows that he deserves the opportunity to go out there and be that 9th inning guy that’s going to hold leads and save games for you, then you can place him in there and work backward. You have to see how guys react in a regular season game and if they have the temperament to be that 9th inning guy.

I’ve seen it both ways. I’ve seen some guys that jump up and want to be the 9th inning guy, and then some guys are much more comfortable pitching in the 7th inning. It’s an understanding you have to get from your pitchers, seeing their performance.

The Phillies have a lot of good arms, so I’m sure they’re going to be able to get it done.

Does knowing Bryce Harper will miss significant time change the way that you manage?

Scioscia: Losing Bryce Harper is a huge loss. There were some seasons where we lost Vladimir Guerrero and Garrett Anderson for big stretches and still bridged the gap and made the playoffs. You have to do the best you can.

When you lose players that are that dynamic, it’s going to present you with different strategies. You might not have (Bryce) up there with the opportunity to hit a 3-run home run. You might have to play for a run. There’s a lot that goes into making decisions. In no way do you think the season is a loss.

You’re not going to put up the white flag and surrender. You hopefully have the depth to get a lot of that production filled by other guys. Obviously, the dynamic production that a guy like Bryce Harper brings, you’re not going to have one guy that’s going to be able to go and do that.

What about as a player?

Scioscia: Every player has a role. A player doesn’t need to step up; he needs to bring his game and play to his capabilities. Baseball is the one sport where it’s counterintuitive to think that, if I can hit 10 home runs, I’ve got to go out there and hit 20 now because a guy’s out. That doesn’t work–you’ll end up hitting two home runs instead of the 10 you should hit.

It usually falls on the shoulders of the guys who have the capabilities. Eventually, one guy will come through and start to play to a certain level because he got that opportunity. I think that’s what you search for through spring training, and you search for it at the beginning of the season. You continue to mix and match with some things because it does change the dynamic of your lineup.

The Phillies have a lot of depth, and I would expect them to still have a strong offense.

Which 2-3 teams in the National League do you anticipate giving the Phils a run for their money?

Scioscia: There’s no doubt the Dodgers and the Padres; the Cardinals are always tough. I think you look to the East, and you look to the biggest challenges coming from the Mets and the Braves, who strengthened themselves from a position of already being strong. It’s going to be a grind for any team to get through the National League East, and I think it comes down to how effective your bullpen can be through the season. There might be some turnover in roles, but that bullpen management is going to be crucial.

With the new schedule setup for 2023, teams will play 46 Interleague games instead of 16. In your experience, does an unfamiliarity with opponents level the playing field or make things tougher for teams with high expectations like the Phillies?

Scioscia: Even though there’s not the same familiarity that you might have from playing the same teams in your division, baseball guys move around. As a hitter, you’ve most likely faced most of the pitchers somewhere and understand their stuff. Particularly now that advanced scouting has gotten much broader and deeper and gives you a better picture of a team and a pitcher, I don’t think it’s going to play as much into it as it might have a while ago.

I’m definitely in favor of more head-to-head competition within the division. I feel that, if you’re going to get to the playoffs, you’ve got to get through your division and that division standing should have more weight. I’d like playing in your division early, in the middle of the summer, and at the end of the year, so you really have to earn your way through.

As they stand, do you think the Phillies have a real chance to return to the World Series?

Scioscia: Yes, I think they absolutely have a chance to get back to the World Series. I think that the Phillies would be best served not to think about the World Series on a daily basis. You’ve got to climb that ladder one rung at a time.

You start in spring training. You start to build momentum; you start to bring your team together and get it going. All the components have to come together. The things that we talked about; the pitcher/catcher communication and their relationship, which is the biggest part, I feel, of any club.

The offensive chemistry: what’s your philosophy around the bases? The Phillies will have very good team speed that I know they’ll want to take advantage of. What’s their philosophy going to be? Are they going to be able to implement it?

On the defensive end, I think they’re going to be stronger this year, and so that part of the club has to come together and get to the form it needs to be. It still comes down to the ability to control the game on the defensive end, particularly on the pitcher’s mound. If the Phillies can get guys to pitch to their capabilities, and if the bullpen, particularly the back end, starts to form the way it can, they absolutely are a contender.

Looking beyond this season, with Bryce Harper and Trea Turner signed for the long haul, is this a Fightin’ Phillies squad that will have a fightin’ chance for the rest of the decade?

Scioscia: I think it takes more than two players. I think the Phillies will be as good as their pitching staff, particularly the bullpen, lets them be through this next decade. If they continue to develop arms in their minor leagues that come up and can be effective and also develop the power arms of the bullpen you need to have lasting success, they are going to be a force.

On the offensive side, They’ve got a great blend of power, speed, and the ability to manufacture runs if they need it and the ability to hit the ball out of the park.

That’s going to give them a very diverse offense that, if they can support it with the pitching, absolutely it can be a fun decade for them.

Just for fun, do you have any favorite memories to share from your in-season visits to Philadelphia?

Scioscia: I love Philadelphia. I loved getting back there, but it was such a blur.

We only got back there twice a year when I was playing with the Dodgers, and you were packing all these visits in to see relatives, to go up to the school and see your coaches, and you go around the community. It was such a whirlwind. Looking back on it now, I enjoyed every minute of it.

My wife Anne (we’ve been married for 38 years) was in the stands one day and the Phillie Phanatic came up. He didn’t know who she was, but, you know, he does his whole act and his whole antics. He picked up her purse and started looking at her purse and taking stuff out. She was mortified, but she loved it.

The whole Philly experience, I grew up with it. When I was 17, I left to play baseball, and so, to get back was always a thrill for me. It was always fun as a player.

I went back as a manager maybe three times over the 19 years I managed. It was always a thrill. It was a little hectic getting so many things done and really usually in 2-3 days.

This interview was conducted in January, and it has been edited for length.

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