CHICAGO — San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello has attended dozens of games at Wrigley Field. He’s sat in box seats, the bleachers and the upper-most portions of the 400 level. The bricks-and-ivy ballpark at Clark and Addison was his major league home even though he grew up in suburban St. Louis, where local tradition demands loyalty to the Cardinals, Budweiser and gooey butter cake.But Vitello’s father, Greg, is a Chicago native, so there were frequent trips up I-55 to visit the grandparents — usually timed for when Andre Dawson and Ryne Sandberg were in town.Win or loss, and they were often losses, it was impossible for young Tony to walk out of Wrigley Field in a sour or stressed mood. That’s the effect a baseball cathedral will have on you. A few hours at the Friendly Confines will feed your spirit whether the W banner flies from the center field flagpole or not.It was different for Vitello on Saturday night. This whole weekend has been different. When you go from a fan to a professional, there are so many pure and wholesome emotions that you have to put in a box and place on a high shelf. You’re still a fan of the game. You still retain a sense of wonder. But a detachment forms. Call it a separation of cathedral and state.Vitello did not have a professional playing or coaching background before he was hired to manage the Giants. In a sense, the former University of Tennessee head coach hasn’t gotten as much of the fan beaten out of him. But when Vitello walked out of the ballpark Saturday night, he was like any other major league manager following a one-run, extra-inning loss: sour and stressed, unspooling his thoughts, rehashing his decisions, going over every nuance, wondering what he’d decide if he got a chance to do it all over again.On Sunday night, he did.When the series finale closely paralleled the previous night, Vitello chose faith over fear. He made the same decisions while envisioning different outcomes. He had Keaton Winn pitch to Pete Crow-Armstrong again. He gave up the designated hitter for a defensive upgrade in the outfield. He didn’t walk Cubs No.3 hitter Michael Busch, whose single, combined with an error in center field, had scored the Cubs’ winning run the previous night.Vitello put the same amount of trust in the same players, who rewarded him in a 2-1, 10-inning victory.
Tony Vitello replays decisions, Giants reward him in 10-inning win at Wrigley Field
San Francisco's manager stuck to his guns Sunday night against the Cubs and it paid off in a series-clinching win.














