PHILADELPHIA — In a desperate attempt to turn around the season, the Phillies fired manager Joe Girardi on Friday, the team announced.
The Phillies are 22-29, 12 games out of first place the National League East. Entering this weekend's series with the Los Angeles Angels at Citizens Bank Park, they have lost 12 of the last 17 games.
Bench coach Rob Thomson, who worked with Girardi with both the Phillies and the New York Yankees, will take over as interim manager.
"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," president of baseball operations Dave 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.
"I believe we have a talented group that can get back on track, and I am confident that Rob, with his experience and familiarity with our club, is the right man to lead us going forward."
The Phillies hired Girardi after the 2019 season to replace deposed Gabe Kapler. At the time, owner John Middleton hailed Girardi's track record, including a World Series championship with the New York Yankees in 2009, and his reputation for blending old-school feel with the use of analytics and data.
But the Phillies went 28-32 under Girardi in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and 82-80 last season, missing the playoffs both times. They were 132-141 overall with Girardi at the wheel.
Expectations were ratcheted up this year after ownership decided to push the payroll beyond the $230 million luxury-tax threshold. But the Phillies, plagued by familiar problems with poor defense and a combustible bullpen, have continued to falter.
"I think there's a number of reasons we didn't win," Girardi said in his previously scheduled weekly appearance on Sirius XM's MLB Network Radio. "We gave too many extra outs that probably cost us four or five games, maybe even more. At times our bullpen struggled. We had some guys that I think have much better stuff than the potential that they pitched to.
"And I think some guys got off to some slow starts offensively. And that happens, right? But I think you can overcome sometimes one thing, maybe even two. But sometimes when it's more than that, it can be somewhat difficult."
Since Girardi got hired, the Phillies rank last in baseball with 110 fewer defensive runs saved than average. The next-worst team is the Detroit Tigers, with 53 fewer defensive runs saved. The Phillies also had a 5.00 bullpen ERA under Girardi. Only the Colorado Rockies (5.38) are worse.
After last season and again in spring training, Dombrowski said the Phillies wouldn't exercise their option on Girardi's contract for 2023, preferring instead to reevaluate his status after the season. Last month, a high-ranking team official said Dombrowski, who has full autonomy over baseball personnel matters, hadn't wavered from that stance.
Dombrowski has fired other managers during the season, but not since 2002 with the Tigers when he replaced Phil Garner after only six games.
But the Phillies went 10-18 in May, with several gut-wrenching losses. The heat may have been turned up on Girardi after a May 24 loss in Atlanta, when he stuck to his policy of not using relievers on three consecutive days and sent Nick Nelson back out for the ninth inning rather than turning to closer Corey Knebel. The Phillies lost the game, 6-5, after Bryce Harper had given them a lead with a homer in the top of the ninth.
"I can look back at this last week when we were 3-7, and I think realistically, we probably should have been 7-3," Girardi said in his radio interview. "Well, that's going to fall on me, because we weren't, and I understand that. I just pray that they get better. And they get to the playoffs."
The Phillies also let go coaching assistant Bobby Meacham, a longtime Girardi confidante. Quality assurance coach Mike Calitri will take over as bench coach.
