Rob Thomson, champagne bottle in his right hand, stood Saturday night in the center of the Phillies clubhouse as his players circled around him. The team was seven games below .500 when Thomson stepped in as manager, yet here it was in October standing just four wins from the World Series.
Thomson, 59, spent a lifetime in baseball but didn’t get his chance to manage until this summer. He seemed to connect almost immediately with his players. Zack Wheeler said he’s human. J.T. Realmuto said the manager is a calming presence. Rhys Hoskins called Thomson genuine and relatable.
And none of that came as a surprise to Derek Jeter, who was just 18 years old when he first met Thomson.
“It’s awesome to see,” Jeter told The Inquirer. “Thoms has done pretty much everything you can in the game. You talk about someone who has experience and can relate to all different positions, I can’t think of anyone who is more qualified than Rob. He put in his time and I couldn’t be happier that he’s getting this opportunity.”
Thomson spent 28 years with the Yankees but lived in relative anonymity outside of the Bronx. He was a minor-league manager when Jeter was drafted in 1992, spent three years as the farm director, organized spring training every year, and eventually joined the major-league coaching staff for the final seven years of Jeter’s career.
Thomson was integral — “He’s just one of those guys that we all became attached to and a guy who we all leaned on,” Jeter said — but none of those roles brought much attention. So Jeter, as his career was winding down nearly a decade ago, thought of a way to shine light on him.
He told the representatives at the Jordan Brand in 2014 that he wanted Thomson to be included in the commercial they were shooting during Jeter’s final season. And there was Thomson in the opening seconds of an iconic spot, tipping his hat to Jeter.
“Now everyone knows who Rob Thomson is because he’s the manager of the Phillies and they’re in the postseason,” Jeter said. “But at the time we filmed that commercial, I wanted everyone to realize that Thoms is special to me and my career. I played 23 years professionally and knew Thoms for pretty much my entire career. He’s a guy who I always had a great deal of respect for.”
It wasn’t hard this season to see that the Phillies felt the same about Thomson as Jeter did in the Bronx. Hoskins said before the start of the National League Division Series that the Phils are “more than happy to go to war for him.” Bryce Harper took batting practice in August with a “I Ride With Philly Rob” T-shirt and said last week that Thomson “has a pretty good grasp on who we are as people.”
The Phils waited for Thomson to enter the clubhouse before anyone popped open a bottle during each of their three celebrations this month. He’s their guy.
Harper praised the manager for his ability to keep his emotions in check, even when everyone around him is losing it. When the dugout erupted after Jean Segura hit his go-ahead single in the ninth inning of the first wild-card game in St. Louis, Thomson simply stared straight ahead. That’s him.
“I think he’s excited, right? He has to be,” Harper said. “But it’s kind of like in Tombstone when they call Wyatt Earp an oak. That’s kind of who he is. Nothing takes him one way or the other. It’s just who he is and we all love that. It’s fun to be able to play for a guy like that. He really understands his players and cares about his players.”
And that’s just how Thomson was in New York. His calm demeanor, Jeter said, was so important in a game that includes so much failure.
“Thoms was that guy. He’s never too high, never too low. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion, which I think is something that rubs off on players,” Jeter said. “It’s like if you’re in a room and someone is speaking all the time, eventually you’re going to stop listening to them. You know? If it’s someone who doesn’t run their mouth just for the sake of running their mouth, you can notice that everyone is paying attention to what they’re doing. Thoms is that guy. I have so much respect for him.
“I think the reason why he has such a great relationship with players is that he treats everyone fairly. He doesn’t care if you’ve been in the league one year, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years. He’s going to give you an honest opinion and an opinion even if he thinks you’re doing something wrong. I think players respect that. He doesn’t go out of his way to embarrass you or do it when everyone’s watching. Thoms is the type of guy who will pull you aside and he’ll be honest with you. That’s why he has such a good relationship, whether it was a rookie or someone who had 20 years in the league.”
Thomson, who was rewarded with a two-year contract extension on the eve of the NLDS, raised the champagne bottle Saturday night, toasted his players on an “unbelievable job.” They eliminated the defending World Series champs and would be flying to San Diego to begin the National League Championship Series.
“You guys are so tough, you’re so resilient, you’re so talented,” Thomson said. “You guys are playing so unselfishly and I’m so proud of you.”
He then asked Realmuto how many more wins stood between the Phillies and a championship. Eight more, Realmuto hollered before spraying his champagne bottle in Thomson’s face. The rest of the team did the same, soaking the manager in the center of the clubhouse. The Phillies, for the third time in 12 days, were partying. The whole scene felt so improbable and it would have felt impossible without Thomson finally getting his chance.
“I’m pulling for Rob,” Jeter said. “I pull for people. You know what I mean? He’s as good as they come. I pull for his success. But he’s not playing. Ultimately, it’s up to the players. But I couldn’t be happier that he’s getting this opportunity and it’s well deserved.”
