PHILADELPHIA – He grew up on Lyndoch Street in Corunna, a slice of Ontario so blue collar that it is known as Chemical Valley, not exactly a real estate agent’s siren song to sell homes. His father worked in a factory that manufactured what are known as carbon blacks, the material used in tires and other products. After 37 years of quietly working his own factory hours in baseball, mostly under the cloak of anonymity, Rob Thomson earned his first major league managing job with the Phillies this summer.
Today, even the most casual baseball fan should know the name Rob Thomson. That’s because still every bit the pride of Chemical Valley, and still working the ridiculous hours that would shame the most diligent of factory workers, Thomson was the star of National League Championship Series Game 3 against the Padres on Friday at Citizens Bank Park.
Holding a 3–2 lead after five innings, Thomson grabbed this game like a falcon with prey in its talons. He would not let go. He pulled his effective starter, Ranger Suárez, after just 68 pitches. To preserve the lead, he decided nobody else was going to touch the baseball but his three best bullpen arms, Zach Eflin, José Alvarado and Seranthony Domínguez. He did so without worry of the next day or the potential of playing five games in five days.
