PHILADELPHIA – Two pitchers warmed up before the game — for Tampa Bay.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel celebrates after the Pilies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

No one warmed up for the Phillies until they had taken the lead.

The intricate nine-inning, 54-out marathon of a baseball game turned into an 18-out dash to the World Series title Wednesday night.

It also turned into a World Series of second-guessing, with Charlie Manuel winning out over Joe Maddon as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in the completion of Game 5.

When to change pitchers?

When to bunt?

When to intentionally walk?

When to play the infield in?

That turned the game, and the title.

"I wasn't working on trying to prove nothing," Manuel said. "Don't take this in a cocky way, I already knew how good I was."

When the game resumed in the bottom of the sixth following a 46-hour suspension, the score was 2-2. In a quick flurry of moves, six relievers, three pinch-hitters and two pinch-runners entered. A pitcher sacrificed for the first time in his career. A reigning MVP sacrificed in the World Series for the first time since Stan Musial in 1944.

"We score, they score, we score," Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said. "Then they got the tying run on second base. It was three spectacular innings."

Maddon made all of his moves

"When you get to those moments, you just try to make your best guess and try to do the right thing," he said. "And they beat us. They flat beat us tonight."

Philadelphia had been 8-for-55 (.145) with runners in scoring position. The Phillies were 2-for-5 Wednesday night.

Tampa Bay played the infield in twice, and both times the Phillies got RBI singles.

"We executed two bunts, and we got our runners over, and we made contact, and got them in," Manuel said. "Earlier in the series, we were striking out and we weren't getting them in, popping up, and hitting soft ground balls."

Right from the start, Maddon opened himself up to criticism.

When left-handed-hitting Geoff Jenkins batted for Cole Hamels to resume the game, the Rays left in right-hander Grant Balfour, who had been their last pitcher when play was halted Monday night. Maddon wanted to save his lefties to face Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in later innings.

"I was fine with him pitching against any left-hander right there," Maddon said. "We were just trying to shorten it up because you don't know if it's going to go 9, 10, 11, 12 innings, or whatever."

Jenkins doubled on a hop off the scoreboard in right-center.

"Two-strike ball off the wall. That's very unusual," Maddon said. "That happens once in a while, and he got it done, and that was unfortunate."

Manuel called for a bunt, and NL MVP Jimmy Rollins sacrificed Jenkins to third. It was his fourth sac bunt in three years. No MVP had bunted in the Series since the Cardinals' Musial in the 1944 opener against the Browns, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Maddon brought the infield in, and Jayson Werth followed with a pop to center field that bounced off the outstretched arms of second baseman Akinori Iwamura, who was trying for what would have been an outstanding catch with his back to the plate. Jenkins, who had not tagged up, scored on the single.

Lefty J.P. Howell, who had warmed up alongside Balfour, then relieved, struck out Utley and retired Howard on a popup. But Rocco Baldelli homered off Ryan Madson in the seventh, Jason Bartlett singled and Howell sacrificed — the first of his career.

Manuel called on left-hander J.C. Romero, who induced the left-handed-hitting Iwamura to hit a grounder up the middle that was picked up by Utley, who faked a throw to first, and then threw to catcher Carlos Ruiz, who tagged Bartlett on the helmet.

Pat Burrell, 0-for-13 in the Series, then doubled off Howell leading off the seventh, a drive that missed being a home run by about three feet.

Eric Bruntlett pinch ran, and side-arming right-hander Chad Bradford came in. Like clockwork, Shane Victorino hit a grounder to the right side that advanced the runner. Then, with the infield in, Pedro Feliz singled up the middle for a 4-3 lead.

"He's a down hitter, and the guy on the mound is a sinkerball pitcher, and I feel like he can make contact," Maddon said. "He doesn't strike out a whole lot."

Maddon was happy with the matchup.

"That was a good piece of hitting up the middle," he said.

Strangely, both managers were smiling after the game. Maddon basked in the accomplishments of his team, which had never finished above .500 before this year. Manuel was beaming. His team was the champion and it was especially sweet given the criticism he faced in Cleveland when he managed the Indians and in Philadelphia.

In the interview room, Manuel spotted Paul Hoynes, who covered him for The Plain Dealer.

"Hoynesie, I'll ask you something," Manuel said as a national TV audience listened in. "Why don't you go back to Cleveland and tell them that we won a World Series. All right? OK?"