The Phillies have finally answered our prayers and dismissed Manager Joe Girardi. It’s been a long time coming, as Girardi failed to see much success in Philadelphia, and things seem to be at a crisis point. With Girardi making baffling decisions on an almost daily basis, it became clear that a new skipper was needed. Bench Coach Rob Thomson will be elevated to Interim Manager for the remainder of the season, and will have well over 100 games to prove his worth.
Thomson is a career baseball man, as the 58-year-old has been coaching in the big leagues since 2008. Before that, he was a player in the Tigers’ system from 1985-88, before transitioning to the coaching side of the game. He worked his way up through the Yankees’ organization, holding many roles both on and off the field. Over his three-plus decades in the game, Thomson has served as a first and third base coach, minor league manager, field coordinator, vice president of minor league development, and of course, bench coach.
Rob Thomson is receiving his first chance as a full-time big league manager, and the Canadian will be doing everything he can to take it and run with it. The Phillies also elevated former quality assurance coach Mike Calitri to serve as Thomson’s bench coach.
It’s a sad end to Girardi’s tenure in the City of Brotherly Love, as the former World Series Champion manager just couldn’t get things on track. During his three seasons at the helm, Girardi piloted the Phils to a 132-141 record, and an abysmal 22-29 mark in 2022. With the Mets running away with the division and the Phillies sitting well back from a wild card spot right now, a change needed to be made. Between his inflexibility in pitcher usage, terrible bullpen management and obtuse nature with fans and the media, Girardi became reviled this year. Phillies fans rejoiced this morning when the news came down, and hopefully this marks the start of a revitalized team.