Philadelphia Phillies fire manager Rob Thomson after 9-19 start to 2026 season
The Philadelphia Phillies, tied for the worst record in baseball with the New York Mets at 9-19, fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday after the club lost its sixth straight series and 11 of its last 12 games.
Bench coach Don Mattingly will serve as interim manager through the end of the 2026 season.
"At this time, I felt we needed a new voice in there, a little different feeling in the clubhouse," Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said during a press conference. "Rob was the first to admit that he doesn't know what's really going on. He was a little bit surprised by how we performed. He's been a little bit surprised. I just thought at this time, it was the right time to get a different voice."
Third base coach Dusty Wathan was promoted to bench coach and Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Anthony Contreras was promoted to third base coach. Chris Adamson was promoted to manager of the IronPigs.
The Phillies snapped a 10-game losing streak Saturday, but then got crushed Sunday by the Braves. The losing streak was the club's longest since 1999.
Thomson, 62, took over as Phillies manager in the 2022 season after the team fired Joe Girardi following a 22-29 start.
Despite the brutal start to the 2026 season, Thomson was one of the best managers in franchise history. He finished with a 355-269 record, including an NL pennant in the 2022 season, when the Phillies lost to the Houston Astros in six games in the World Series. His 355 wins are the 10th most by a Phillies manager, and his .568 winning percentage is the highest among managers with more than 35 games.
The Phillies made the playoffs every year Thomson was the manager, including back-to-back NL East titles the last two seasons.
However, the Phillies have failed to make it back to the World Series since 2022. They also haven't won a playoff series since 2023.
"Four years ago, he was the right voice for us for the club that we had," Dombrowski said. "There was no question about it. I think we needed a different voice with this group."
Thomson first joined Philadelphia's staff under former manager Gabe Kapler, who was fired after the 2019 season. Thomson stayed with the organization as a bench coach on Girardi's staff before he became manager.
The Phillies fired Thomson as the team ranks last or in the bottom part of the league in several statistical categories, like run differential, ERA, batting average and OPS, largely with the same roster as the previous four seasons.
Roster construction may be the Phillies' bigger issue, but for teams with World Series aspirations, firing the manager is usually the first shoe to drop.
Thomson's firing comes just days after the Boston Red Sox fired World Series-winning manager Alex Cora, who has a close relationship with Dombrowski.
Dombrowski confirmed Tuesday that the Phillies tried to hire Cora as Thomson's replacement, but the former Red Sox manager decided to spend time with family.
If the Phillies make a playoff push in 2026, they'll have a steep mountain to climb. FanGraphs currently gives the Phillies a 33.9% chance to make the playoffs.
The Phillies will be back in action Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants.
