PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Manager Rob Thomson, who led the Phillies to four straight playoff appearances, including the 2022 World Series, was fired on Tuesday after Philadelphia lost 11 of 12 games and began the day tied for last place in the majors.
Bench coach Don Mattingly was named interim manager through the end of the season and third base coach Dusty Wathan was promoted to bench coach. Mattingly will now officially work for one of his sons — Preston Mattingly is the Phillies general manager — in what is believed to be the first father-son GM/manager combination in baseball history.
Thomson went 355-270 and led a Philadelphia team loaded with high-priced talent that included Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner to consecutive division titles. The 62-year-old Thomson, a baseball lifer finally promoted to his first managerial stint in 2022, signed a contract extension in the offseason running through the 2027 season and was again expected to lead the Phillies into World Series contention.
Instead, the Phillies and their $300-plus million payroll have been one of the biggest flops in the baseball and lost 10 straight games before ace Zack Wheeler led them to a win against Atlanta on Saturday. The Phillies lost to Atlanta on Sunday and fell to 9-19 overall, tied with the division rival New York Mets.
Thomson is the second manager fired in baseball this season after the Red Sox fired Alex Cora and five coaches on Saturday.
Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, gave Thomson a vote of confidence last week while they were in the midst of their losing streak. Dombrowski stood behind Thomson’s work and said he’s been a good manager since replacing Joe Girardi in 2022.
Dombrowski said Tuesday that he talked to Cora about becoming the next manager.
“We never got down to the nuts and bolts of things,” Dombrowski said. “He called me Saturday night as a friend. I guess he calls me one of his mentors and we talked because he never had been through that before. We talked Sunday morning.
“I came to conclusion that if he took it, I would make a change. I thought he would take it. Until Monday morning it was apparent from his perspective he wanted to take time with his family. He wanted to be a father first and foremost and so that’s what he had decided.”
Thomson led Philadelphia to the 2022 World Series after taking over for Girardi, losing to the Houston Astros in six games. Since then, the club has regressed in the postseason. It lost in the NL Championship Series in 2023 in seven games, and the NL Division Series in 2024 and ’25 in four games.
Nicknamed Topper, Thomson has been with the club since the 2018 season, when he was first hired as bench coach under former manager Gabe Kapler.
He was with the New York Yankees from 1990-2017, including 10 seasons on the major league coaching staff as bench coach (2008, 2015-17) and third base coach (2009-14). He earned his nickname in the Yankees organization for always being on top of details.
Thomson became only the fourth manager in big league history to reach the postseason in each of the first four full seasons to begin a managing career, joining Dave Roberts, Aaron Boone and Mike Matheny. He became only the third manager in Phillies history to win consecutive division titles, joining Charlie Manuel and Danny Ozark.
The Phillies have been awful in what was supposed to be a celebratory season with the franchise set to host the All-Star Game and its surrounding festivities. Instead, they have collapsed in every aspect of the game, with regulars Alec Bohm and Schwarber both hitting under .200, while starters Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter all have 5.00-plus ERAs.
The Phillies just released high-priced bust Taijuan Walker in the final year of a four-year, $72 million contract and outfielder Nick Castellanos was released in February as he entered the final year of a five-year, $100 million deal.
The Phillies haven’t won the World Series since 2008 and had last made the playoffs in 2011 until Thomson led them a surprise run to the World Series in 2022 dubbed Red October that rejuvenated the fanbase and made 90-plus win seasons the norm.
The Phillies now will turn to Mattingly, the former New York Yankees great, to resuscitate their season and try to at least keep them in the hunt for an NL wild-card spot.
Mattingly, spending his 23rd straight season as a major league manager or coach, had his mind set on retirement after he left his role as Toronto’s bench coach under manager John Schneider following the World Series.
He reversed course after a talk with his family and latched on with the Phillies, enticed by the chance to work with his son and with Thomson, his friend from their Yankees days.
Mattingly managed the Dodgers from 2011-15 and the Marlins from 2016-22. He was the 2020 NL Manager of the Year after he led the Marlins to their first playoff appearance since 2003.
He said when the Phillies hired him in the winter that he no longer had interest in managing again.
“I don’t think I have the energy for that anymore,” Mattingly said.
Mattingly played 14 seasons as a first baseman in the major leagues, all for the Yankees, from 1982-95. He was a six-time American League All-Star and the 1985 AL Most Valuable Player before retiring. Mattingly captained the Yankees in his final five seasons.
There’s a loose father-son baseball hierarchy connection in Philadelphia baseball history.
Hall of Famer Connie Mack managed and owned the Philadelphia Athletics and his son Earle managed 125 combined games in 1937 and 1939 when his father was ill.
Mattingly was thrilled in January at the chance of possibly winning his first World Series ring while working for the same franchise as his son.
“To be able to do it with him,” Mattingly said, “would be incredible.”
So, at this point, would be leading the Phillies to the postseason.
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