Philadelphia Phillies fire manager Joe Girardi after 22-29 start

The Philadelphia Phillies have fired manager Joe Girardi, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced Friday.

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.

“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.”

Following the Phillies’ announcement, Girardi made his regular appearance on Sirius XM’s MLB Network Radio, saying “I think there’s a number of reasons we didn’t win,” noting struggles in the bullpen and some slow offensive starts among the problems.

“I think you can overcome, sometimes, one thing, maybe even two, but sometimes when it’s more than that, I think it’s somewhat difficult,” Girardi said. “… I just pray that they, you know, get better and they get to the playoffs.”

Girardi, 57, had served as Phillies manager for the past three seasons, going 132-141 as Philadelphia continues to seek its first playoff appearance since 2011.

In 14 seasons as a major league manager for the Marlins, Yankees and Phillies, Girardi is 1,120-935, winning a World Series with New York in 2009.

Also dismissed Friday was coaching assistant Bobby Meacham, who had joined the team in 2020 along with Girardi.

The Phillies have a $224 million payroll and boast 2021 NL MVP Bryce Harper and NL Cy Young Award runner-up Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto and free-agent sluggers Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber. Yet Philadelphia hasn’t won the World Series since 2008 and has watched fan interest plummet through a decade-plus of mediocre baseball.

Harper has been plagued most of the season with right forearm soreness and was forced to give up right field and play designated hitter. Second baseman Jean Segura is out for up to three months with a fractured right index finger. The Phillies are 12-15 at home and are 4-10 in one-run games.

Bench coach Rob Thomson will serve as the team’s interim manager for the rest of the season, while quality assurance coach Mike Calitri was promoted to bench coach.

“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,” Dombrowski said.

Thomson has been with the Phillies since the 2018 season. He previously spent 28 years in the Yankees organization, including 10 seasons when Girardi served as manager from 2008 to 2017.

“I am extremely excited for this opportunity and I appreciate the confidence Dave has shown in me,” Thomson said in a statement. “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.”

Thomson’s first game Friday will be against a Los Angeles Angels team that has lost eight straight games overall and six straight on the road.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.