Exclusive excerpt: Decoding Cubs manager Joe Maddon's World Series Game 7 lineup card

In an excerpt from his new book, The Cubs Way, Tom Verducci breaks down manager Joe Maddon's elaborately marked-up lineup card.

Below is a piece of MLB history. In his new book, The Cubs Way, Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer Tom Verducci provides a first-hand look at the lineup card that Chicago manager Joe Maddon filled out and used for Game 7 of the 2016 World Series—a thrilling come-from-behind win by the Cubs over the Indians to give them the franchise's first championship since 1908. Here, you'll find that card, annotated with explanations for the veteran skipper's elaborate system of organizing information, proprietary statistics and motivational reminders. Confused about what all the letters, acronyms and scribbles on the lineup card stand for? Just hover over Maddon's purple notes (or tap them, if you're on a mobile device) to see what they mean. Below the lineup card, you'll find a legend breaking down the color coding and all the stats.

For more on the Cubs' epic Game 7 win, check out this exclusive excerpt from Tom's book, in which he goes behind the scenes of one of the craziest nights in baseball history and talks to the players and personnel who made it happen.

Adapted from The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse, copyright © 2017 by Tom Verducci. To be published by Crown Archetype, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, on March 28.

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