Philadelphia Phillies Fire Joe Girardi

By: Tye Richmond

Well, it finally happened. The Philadelphia Phillies have fired manager Joe Girardi, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced on Friday.

“It has been a frustrating season for us up until this point, as we feel that our club has not played up to its capabilities,” Dombrowski said in a statement. “While all of us share the responsibility for the shortcomings, I felt that a change was needed and that a new voice in the clubhouse would give us the best chance to turn things around.”

The move was made with the Phillies at 22-29, having lost seven of their past nine games and sitting in third place in the National League East, 12 games behind the New York Mets.

Girardi was hired ahead of the 2020 season. He finishes his Phillies tenure with an overall record of 132–141. The team hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2011.

Bench coach Rob Thomson will take over as interim manager. Coaching assistant Bobby Meacham was also relieved of his role.

Thomson will become the 56th manager in franchise history. He’s been with the team since December 2017. Thomson has worked in MLB since 1990, but this will be his first time acting as manager.

“I am extremely excited for this opportunity and I appreciate the confidence Dave has shown in me,” Thomson said. “Having said that, this is an emotional day for me, having worked so closely with Joe for so many years. This has been my home now for the last five years and I care deeply about this franchise, this city, our players, our coaches, our staff, and our fans. I am ready to lead this team and look forward to getting to work and turning this around.”

As a lifelong Phillies fan, I am happy about the news that Girardi got fired because it was time for a change in the clubhouse. The Phillies came into this season with high expectations and major free agent signings, and it is not working out. Girardi isn’t the only problem with the team, but it is a start of some much-needed changes. Hopefully, Rob Thomson can make an impact as an interim manager and the Phillies can be the Philadelphia Phillies of old like in 2008-2011.