Canadian Rob Thomson to remain manager of Phillies after leading team to playoffs
CBC
After guiding the Philadelphia Phillies to their first playoff berth in more than a decade, manager Rob Thomson had the interim removed from his title Monday.
The only issue?
Thomson had to sit through a news conference to discuss his new two-year contract to remain as Phillies manager through 2024.
He would prefer to talk about anything but himself.
"Completely," Thomson said after his new deal was announced on the eve of the NL Division Series against the reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves. "I really want the spotlight on the players and the series. And baseball is what I want to get to."
The Phillies made the obvious choice to keep the manager who guided an improbable turnaround, one that propelled the club to its first playoff berth since 2011.
Philadelphia went 65-46 the rest of the regular season, finishing a distant third in the NL East behind Atlanta and the New York Mets but still good enough to land a wild card.
In the opening round of the playoffs, Philadelphia swept the NL Central champion Cardinals in two games at St. Louis for its first postseason series victory in a dozen years.
The best-of-five series against the Braves begins Tuesday at Truist Park.
Thomson, a native of Sarnia, Ont., is the first Canadian-born manager to lead a team to the postseason. But it was the way he handled his players that really stood out, allowing them to express their personalities and play much looser than they did under Girardi.
"He's very deserving of this," Game 1 starter Ranger Suarez said through a translator. "He let us be ourselves. There's a lot of freedom that we feel when we're around him. And the most important thing is that we're comfortable because we can be ourselves."
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said several players came to him during the season, urging him to keep Thomson on as manager beyond 2022.
Dombrowski said his mind has been made up for quite a while to retain Thomson, but baseball rules designed to promote more opportunities for minority candidates prevented any announcement until after the regular season.
"I think just the overall change of atmosphere and communication and just the way the clubhouse felt when you're around," Dombrowski said, explaining his reasoning. "It's not being negative towards the past, but it was just different, and you could tell we were playing with a relaxed but focused approach."
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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