Bucs Beat Q&A: As new Pirates manager, Don Kelly knows 'the ultimate decision is mine'

How much do you weigh following a script versus making gut decisions?

I don’t think you can ever fully script a baseball game. When you’re sitting there and you’re in the heat of the moment, just trying to figure out, for me there are touch points. There’s stuff that can target certain matchups that may come up throughout the game, but you can’t fully script it out perfectly. You can anticipate. You don’t know exactly what they’re going to do, but you can anticipate and be prepared.

How do you assess the speed of the game as a manager?

I think, as a player, you feel that, and (Friday) I felt it a little bit. You learn how to slow it down, not that I did it perfectly (Friday). But learning how to slow it down, I think playing for a guy like Jim (Leyland) the way that he managed, and being a bench guy for him, I was always managing along with him because I wanted to be prepared for those situations. I think learning through that of how to be prepared, knowing what situations he may or may not use me in, what he was looking to do to win a ballgame really helped me get prepared to slow it down. I’m sure there’s going to be times it does speed up and same thing I tell the players: You’ve got to learn how to breathe, slow the heart and the mind down and continue to move on.

Did you think the game out as a player?

As far as for me personally, yes. I was not thinking along bullpen usage maybe but pinch-hit, defensive replacement, pinch-run, stuff like that I definitely was. But more from a personal standpoint I would say.

Did you observe opposing managers?

I would follow along with it, not to second-guess but to see how they were doing it, what they were doing and to see the game within the game trying to create matchups.

Was there a moment you realized the difference from the top step of the dugout?

I’m sure it will hit me. Nothing that stood out (Friday) night in regards to that, but I’m sure down the road that maybe something will. The ultimate decision is mine, taking in different decisions, but, at the end of the day, it’s probably the biggest difference.

What’s the biggest challenge?

For me, moving into the manager’s chair and then relinquishing the stuff that I did (as bench coach). For me, I want to stay true to myself. I think that’s the biggest thing. (Friday), going in with the team and talking, you can say whatever you say in that room, but if we don’t live it out every single day, it doesn’t really matter what you say in there. I think that living that every day, believing in it, whether win lose, whatever it is, trying to get better and challenge these guys to get better individually and as a team.