PHILADELPHIA – Canadian coach Rob Thomson will serve as interim manager of Philadelphia Phillies until the end of the season, after the fighting team fired Joe Girardi on Friday.
Girardi is the first manager in the big league to lose his job this season, paying the price for the terrible start of his team.
Expected to fight for the NL East title, Phyllis is 22-29 and 12 games behind first place in the New York Mets.
“This has been a disappointing season for us so far, as we believe our club has not played its part,” said Phyllis Baseball President Dave Dombrowski in a statement. “While we all share the responsibility for the shortcomings, I felt that change was needed and that a new voice in the club would give us the best chance to turn things around. I believe we have a talented group that can get back on track, and I am confident that Rob, with his experience and knowledge of our club, is the right person to lead us forward. “
Born in Sarnia, Ont., And raised in nearby Coruna, Ont., Thomson has coached the Philadelphia bench and coordinated spring training for the past five seasons. He was appointed before the 2018 season.
“I am ready to lead this team and I look forward to getting to work and turning it around,” he said.
His first match was against the Angels team, which lost a total of eight consecutive matches and six consecutive on the road.
“As a bench coach, you spend a lot of time preparing for the other club and probably not so much time at the clubhouse,” said Thomson. “I will take off my hat in preparation. I will still prepare some, but I will have confidence in the coaches around me to keep me informed.
“Now I can go out to the club and really communicate with the players, get to know them, feel, know what they like, know what they don’t like, know when they are hurt, know when they are not hurt, to know that I keep my back to them and that I support them. ”
Thomson was the first full-time Canadian manager since George Gibson of London, Ontario, led the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1934. Arthur Irwin of Toronto, who ran five teams between 1889 and 1899, was the only other Canadian to serve full time. working day manager.
“It’s great. Rob is in our Hall of Fame in 2019 and has always wanted to lead the big leagues and now he’s getting a great opportunity with a talented team,” said Scott Crawford, chief operating officer of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
“Thomson has succeeded in the past when Joe Girardi was absent or expelled from the game. Of course (former catch of Toronto) Russell Martin led the last game of the season in 2018 for the Blue Jays, but it was only one-off special game.
But Thomson was Canada’s first full-time manager since 1934, when Gibson graduated from Pirates.
The Philistines lost 12 of 17 games at the start of Friday’s three-game streak against the Los Angeles Angels.
“We performed poorly and that’s up to me. That’s what’s happening, “Girardi told SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio. “I think there is more talent in this room than the way we played.
The Philistines have $ 224 million in salaries and boast NL’s MVP for 2021. Bryce Harper and NL Cy Young Award winner Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, star hunter JT Realmuto and free agent players Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber. Yet Philadelphia has not entered the playoffs since 2011, has not won the 2008 World Series, and has seen a decline in fan interest over more than a decade of mediocre baseball.
Harper suffered from pain in his right forearm for most of the season and was forced to give up the right field and play a certain striker. Second baseman Jean Segura is out for up to three months with a broken right index finger. The shoots are 12-15 at home and are 4-10 in one-round matches. They have 3-7 in their last 10 games.
“I think we really had to be 7-3. Well, it’s going to fall on me because we weren’t, “Girardi said.” Please just get better and get to the playoffs. “
The Phyllis were overrun by a drooping goat, flaws in the defense and slow starts by some of their dear veterans (Schwarber beats .192). The weakest point was the May 5 loss at home to the New York Mets, when they overcame a six-set deficit in the ninth inning and lost 8-7. The Mets lost the previous 330 times, trailing by six runs in the ninth.
“I think there are a number of reasons not to win. We gave too many extra outs, which cost us four or five games, maybe even more, “said Girardi.
Girardi replaced Yankees manager Joe Torre after the 2007 season and spent a decade in stripes. Girardi led New York to his 27th World Series title, beating Phyllis in six games in 2009, and his 910 victories were the sixth most in the team’s history.
Girardi said last week that the season was “disappointing”, but he was not worried about losing his job. However, Girardi probably had to enter the playoffs this season after Phyllis refused to choose his option for 2023.
“I never worried about my job. I’m not worried about my job. I have to do my job, “Girardi said. “It’s the business of being a manager.”
Thomson began coaching in 1998, spending two seasons coaching the Tigers’ minor league before joining the New York Yankees in 1990.
He joined the Yankees Premier League headquarters as a special task instructor in 2004 and was promoted to Girardi’s bench coach in 2008. He has run three games in Girardi’s absence this season, becoming the first Canadian. led a Premier League match after Gibson.
Thomson was the Yankees’ third base coach from 2009-14 before returning to the bench.
As a player, the catcher / third baseman was selected by the Detroit Tigers in 1985 and competes at Class A. He was part of the team that represented Canada at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
The struggles of Philadelphia surpass Girardi. Gabe Kapler was sacked after a record 161-163 for two seasons and then led the San Francisco Giants to a record 107-55 and playoffs last season.
The Philistines also fired coaching assistant Bobby Mitchum and promoted Mike Kalitri to coach the bench.
– With files from The Canadian Press
___
More AP MLB: and
Add Comment