Phillies players process the ‘tough’ firing of Rob Thomson: ‘We all feel responsible for what happened to him’
Bryce Harper said he reached out to Thomson to let him know he appreciated him. “We love Topper in here,” he said.
One of the enduring moments from the Phillies’ 2022 World Series run was the team standing in a champagne-soaked clubhouse after taking down the Braves in the National League Division Series.
Rob Thomson, manager for only four months, raised a bottle in J.T. Realmuto’s direction.
“How many more wins, J.T.?”
“We got eight more, Topper,” the catcher replied.
» READ MORE: Thank fired Phillies manager Rob Thomson for all the winning but don’t blame him for the flawed roster
The exchange became a tradition of sorts in the Phillies’ subsequent postseason appearances over the next three seasons with Thomson at the helm, one that officially ended Tuesday when Thomson was fired as manager.
“It’s tough,” Realmuto said. “It’s never easy on players when their manager gets let go. I’ve been part of three of them now. And it’s never a good feeling. As a player, you always take accountability. We all feel responsible for what happened to him. We know that we’re the ones on the field not doing our job.”
After the Phillies’ brutal 9-19 start to the season, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski let Thomson go and elevated bench coach Don Mattingly to interim manager.
“I felt that we needed a new voice in there, a little different feeling in the clubhouse,” Dombrowski said.
He considered Alex Cora, recently fired from the Red Sox, as that alternate voice, and discussed the possibility with Cora on Sunday. Cora told Dombrowski he wanted to focus on his family at this time.
Dombrowski then turned to Mattingly, who is the father of general manager Preston Mattingly and last managed the Marlins from 2016 to 2022.
» READ MORE: Dave Dombrowski talked with Alex Cora about replacing Rob Thomson: ‘I thought that he might take it’
Bryce Harper said he found out about the change in role on Tuesday morning when it was announced. He reached out to let Thomson know he appreciated him.
“We love Topper in here,” Harper said. “He’s a great manager for us over the years. Had a lot of managers, and I played with a lot of guys over my 15-year career. Topper is definitely one of the guys at the top.”
He said he anticipated changes coming as the Phillies’ skid stretched on, but added that the players have to play better.
The clubhouse was quiet before Tuesday’s series opener against the Giants.
“Days like today are just kind of somber and unfortunate because you never want to see somebody who we all liked and enjoyed go through what Rob’s having to go through right now,” Realmuto said.
Reliever José Alvarado said through a team interpreter that he was surprised by Thomson’s firing but understands it’s part of the business.
“As a whole, we’ve been in the tough spot recently, so I don’t know. Maybe we do need to hear new voices,” he said.
As a manager, Thomson stood by Alvarado through his struggles with inconsistency in 2024 and following his suspension in 2025 for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
» READ MORE: Where does Rob Thomson rank among Phillies managers? His numbers put him in some elite company.
“Personally, he’s a person that always helped me when I needed it the most, that always supported me in tough times,” Alvarado said. “So I’ll miss him a lot.”
According to Realmuto, the managerial change hasn’t added to the Phillies’ sense of urgency to turn the season around, since he said the team already felt that way.
He has experience playing under Mattingly as manager in Miami for three seasons before he was traded to the Phillies in 2019.
“Donnie is great,” Realmuto said. “He’s a player, so he just gets it. He’s got a lot of fire. He plays with a lot of energy, compassion. He’s a competitor. His message to us today was just to go out there and compete, and it’s us against the world, and basically to come together as a group and take things personal and go out there and play our brand of baseball.”
Extra bases
Right-handed reliever Jonathan Bowlan (groin strain) was reinstated from the injured list, and Nolan Hoffman was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley. … Realmuto (back spasms) is progressing well. He hit on the field on Tuesday and plans to sprint and do catching drills on Wednesday. He hopes to be able to return at some point during this weekend’s series in Miami. … Cristopher Sánchez (2-2, 2.94 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday against Giants right-hander Logan Webb (2-3, 4.86).
Hunter Pence's 368-day stint with the Phillies was a study in extremes. Acquired at the trade deadline in 2011 as the missing right-handed bat for a World Series contender, he got dealt a year later by an underachieving team. And with the Phillies in full-on crisis mode this week, Pence sits down with "Phillies Extra," the Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss how quickly a team's fortunes can change. Watch here.
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