Joe Girardi came to Philadelphia with an impressive resume but never quite achieved success in three seasons wearing red pinstripes. The Phillies fired him on Friday.
Carrying the fourth-highest payroll in baseball while sitting buried in the NL East seven games below .500 at the start of June isn't where the Phillies were supposed to be.
The club is already 12 games behind the first-place 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," Phillies 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."
Girardi was 132-141 over three seasons in Philadelphia.
Bench coach Rob Thomson has been named interim manager for the remainder of the 2022 season. The 58-year-old has never managed in the Majors, though he has been involved in baseball for nearly four decades and been with the Phils since December 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.”
The Phillies open a three-game set with the Angels on Friday night.
