14 hours ago - Sports

The Phillies' Rob Thomson era comes to an end

The call came with little surprise. The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday, hours before a home game against the Giants.

Why it matters: The $315 million roster has stumbled to a 9-19 start — the franchise's worst in decades.

State of play: Bench coach Don Mattingly will lead the team as interim manager through this season.

Context: The Phillies' abysmal start included 10 straight loses this month.

When Thomson was fired, the Phillies held the worst record in baseball, tied with the New York Mets.

Yes, but: Despite never winning a title, Thomson had success in Philly.

He leaves with the highest winning percentage of any Phillies manager since 1900 (.568).
He led the team to four consecutive playoff appearances and a World Series berth in 2022.

The intrigue: Speculation was growing that the Phillies were interested in Alex Cora, who was fired last weekend by the Boston Red Sox.

USA Today reports that the Phillies offered the top job to Cora, but he rejected it.

The bottom line: Time will tell if a new manager can turn the team's fortunes around or if the roster's ceiling is no better than last place.

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