Phillies Fire Manager Joe Girardi
It had been building for several weeks, but the Philadelphia Phillies have fired manager Joe Girardi. Bench coach Rob Thomson will serve as interim manager until the end of the season.
Girardi has faced the ire of fans and the media for the past several weeks during the Phillies current 3-7 skid. It seems he's now facing the ire of Phillies president Dave Dombrowski too.
There was some thought that Dombrowski may allow Girardi to finish the season, seeing as his manager's guaranteed contract expires following the 2022 season. But the Phillies five-game losing streak was Girardi's last straw.
Though Girardi did have a club option at the end of his contract for 2023, that option will be voided.
The Phillies sit 12 games back of first place in the NL East and 5.5 games back of the third wild card. In a year in which they were projected to end a decade-long playoff drought, Thomson will have a steep hill to climb in getting the Phillies back to the promised land.
The Phillies also fired coaching assistant Bobby Meacham, while quality assurance coach Mike Calitri will serve as Thomson's bench coach, per Ken Rosenthal.
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