Rob Thomson’s best decision of the night was a pregame conversation he didn’t have. Just ask Ranger Suárez.

ATLANTA — Game 1 was drawing closer, and Rob Thomson was torn. The manager had just finalized his pitching game plan for the Phillies’ National League Division Series opener against the Braves. He knew that he was probably going to end up giving Ranger Suárez a quick hook, no matter how well he was pitching. He knew that the lefty starter would face each Braves hitter once, maybe twice, and then give way to the bullpen for the third time through the order.

What Thomson didn’t know was whether he should tell Suárez the plan.

“We were contemplating whether to explain it to him before the game,” Thomson said.

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After all, Suárez prides himself on pitching deep into games. He’d spent the previous couple of days preparing himself for a long night against one of the best lineups in modern big league history. Thomson was well aware that he could be setting himself up for the exact sort of awkward encounter that ended up unfolding when he emerged from the dugout to pull his dominant starter after just 53 pitches. Maybe, if the Phillies briefed Suárez on the plan, they could blunt some of the disappointment and allow him to pitch at an extra gear for however long he was in the game.

Except, there was an obvious downside. If the Phillies told Suárez to prepare himself for a short outing, they would run the risk of messing with the poor guy’s head.

“The one thought is that you tell him to empty the tank early,” Thomson said. “Don’t worry about going deep. Is that the best message to send him? Or is it, ‘Hey, you know, just go and pitch your game. Don’t worry about it and just pitch your game.’ So I decided not to tell him and let him pitch his game, and he pitched well. And then he’s disappointed to come out.”

As Thomson talked through his internal deliberations, he offered an interesting window into the type of nuance required in his job. Sure, part of the gig is managing in-game situations. But an even bigger part is managing the psychologies of the players whom you will call upon to perform.

In the end, Thomson decided not to tell Suárez. It proved to be the correct call. Not only did Suárez pitch 3⅔ scoreless innings in the Phillies’ 3-0 win, he said after the game that he wouldn’t have liked knowing beforehand of the plan for the quick hook.

“That was perfect,” Suárez said. “The way he did it was perfect. I know myself as a competitor, it would have taken me out of my comfort zone. As a starting pitcher, you want to go deep into games. If I had known it was going to be a short outing, it probably would have taken some energy out of me.”

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Thomson could sense Suárez’s disappointment when he took the ball from him with two outs and two runners on base in the fourth inning. But the manager also knew the Phillies had the game exactly where they wanted it.

“I explained it to him afterwards, and he understood,” Thomson said. “But he’s a competitor, and he wants to stay in, and he knew how well he was pitching. So I get it.”

Thomson then cracked his wry smile.

“I’m OK him being disappointed,” he said.

Hey, it’s an ends-based business for everyone involved.