PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies dismissed manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday after a devastating stretch that saw the club lose 11 of their last 12 contests, leaving them in a tie for the worst record in Major League Baseball.
The organization elevated bench coach Don Mattingly to serve as interim manager for the rest of the season, while third-base coach Dusty Wathan received a promotion to bench coach.
Thomson compiled a 355-270 record during his tenure and guided a star-studded roster featuring Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner to back-to-back division championships. The 62-year-old skipper, who received his first managerial opportunity in 2022, had recently signed a contract extension that would have kept him in Philadelphia through 2027 and was anticipated to once again lead the franchise’s World Series pursuit.
However, the Phillies and their payroll exceeding $300 million have become one of baseball’s most disappointing teams this season, enduring a 10-game losing streak before ace pitcher Zack Wheeler helped secure a victory against Atlanta on Saturday. Philadelphia then suffered another defeat to the Braves on Sunday, dropping their record to 9-19 and creating a tie with division rival New York Mets.
Thomson becomes the second skipper dismissed this season, following Boston’s decision to part ways with Alex Cora and five coaching staff members on Saturday.
Dave Dombrowski, Philadelphia’s president of baseball operations, had expressed confidence in Thomson just last week during the team’s struggles. Dombrowski praised Thomson’s managerial abilities and defended his performance since he replaced Joe Girardi in 2022.
Thomson guided Philadelphia to the 2022 World Series after assuming control from Girardi, though they fell to the Houston Astros in six games. The franchise has experienced postseason disappointment since that run, falling in the NL Championship Series in seven games during 2023, followed by NL Division Series exits in four games during both 2024 and 2025.
Known by the nickname “Topper,” Thomson joined the organization during the 2018 campaign as bench coach under former manager Gabe Kapler.
His baseball career included a lengthy stint with the New York Yankees from 1990-2017, which featured 10 seasons on the major league coaching staff serving as bench coach (2008, 2015-17) and third base coach (2009-14). He earned his moniker within the Yankees system for his meticulous attention to detail.
Thomson achieved the rare distinction of becoming just the fourth manager in major league history to reach the postseason during each of his first four complete seasons, joining Dave Roberts, Aaron Boone, and Mike Matheny. He also became only the third manager in Phillies history to capture consecutive division titles, alongside Charlie Manuel and Danny Ozark.
The Phillies have struggled tremendously during what was expected to be a milestone season with the franchise scheduled to host the All-Star Game and related events. The team has faltered across all areas, with regulars Alec Bohm and Schwarber both batting below .200, while starting pitchers Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Andrew Painter all carry ERAs above 5.00.
The organization recently released expensive acquisition Taijuan Walker during the final year of his four-year, $72 million contract, and parted ways with outfielder Nick Castellanos in February as he entered the last year of a five-year, $100 million agreement.
Philadelphia’s last World Series championship came in 2008, and they hadn’t reached the playoffs since 2011 until Thomson orchestrated their surprising 2022 World Series appearance during “Red October,” which reinvigorated the fan base and established 90-plus win seasons as the standard.
