Philadelphia Phillies Fire Manager Rob Thomson After 4 Years

Action has been taken. The Philadelphia Phillies have fired manager Rob Thomson in the wake of the team’s 9-19 start, the team announced on Tuesday morning. Bench coach Don Mattingly, who was previously the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins, will be Philadelphia’s interim manager, while third base coach Dusty Wathan is now the team’s bench coach. The Phillies recently lost 10 consecutive games, have lost 10 of their last 12 and their 9-19 mark is tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in MLB (32.1% winning percentage). Philadelphia’s starting rotation has the worst ERA (5.80), WHIP (1.64) and opponent batting average (.307) in the sport. Meanwhile, its offense is 29th in batting average (.219) and on-base percentage (.294), 28th in runs (102) and hits (208) and 27th in slugging percentage (.362). Thomson was Philadelphia’s bench coach from 2018-22 and promoted to interim manager when Joe Girardi was fired in June 2022. The Phillies then proceeded to reach the 2022 World Series and kept Thomson on a long-term deal. Philadelphia made the playoffs in each of the following three seasons (2023-25), with the Phillies posting a combined 355-270 record in the regular season and 21-17 in the postseason under Thomson from 2022-26. They won the NL East in 2024 and 2025. The 62-year-old Thomson, a baseball lifer finally promoted to his first managerial stint in ’22, signed a contract extension in the offseason through the 2027 season and was again expected to lead the Phillies into World Series contention in 2026. The Phillies and their $300-plus million payroll have instead been one of the biggest flops in baseball and had 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 divisional 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. Mattingly most recently managed for the Marlins in 2022, and last made the postseason in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign. From 2013 through 2015, Mattingly’s Dodgers reached the postseason, and lost the 2013 NLCS, 4-2, to the Cardinals. Current Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts replaced Mattingly before the 2016 season. The Associated Press contributed to this report.