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Commentary: The Phillies Must Fire Girardi

The Philadelphia Phillies had their most soul-crushing loss of 2022 on Thursday night, dropping the club to 11-15, yet manager Joe Girardi is still in charge.

Author:
Ben Silver
May 6, 2022 4:12 PM EDT

Charlie Manuel, Ryne Sandberg, Pete Mackanin, Gabe Kapler, Joe Girardi. The Phillies have had five different managers since they last made the playoffs in 2011, over a decade ago.

Manuel was fired Aug. 16, 2013. He left Citizens Bank Park unceremoniously that night, Wawa bag in hand. Ryne Sandberg was his replacement, he had managed Triple-A Lehigh Valley for two years and was slated as one of MLB's top managerial prospects.

He was given a three-year contract and option for 2017, but Sandberg quit less than two years later into his contract in mid-season 2015. He was replaced by third base coach Pete Mackanin.

Mackanin was nothing if not unspectacular, heading a team deep into a rebuild, he captained the Phillies through abject mediocrity for two and a half seasons, before he was dismissed ahead of 2018.

Now they were ready to compete, and bring in a real manager to do so. The Phillies narrowed their search down to three options: Dusty Wathan, former-Phillies minor league manager, John Farrell, former-World Series winner with the 2013 Boston Red Sox, and Gabe Kapler.

The Phillies went with the unexperienced, yet analytically minded Kapler, who made so many blunders in his first week he was sent a formal warning by MLB.

When Kapler was fired following 2019, the Phillies looked to correct their mistake. They needed a manager with a proven track record, someone who could not only be the field general, but the captain, a "baseball guy."

The Phillies were never going to hire anyone other than Joe Girardi, who has picked up right where Kapler, Mackanin, and Sandberg left off, in abject mediocrity.

The 2022 Phillies are a good baseball team; it's evident by their roster, payroll, and above-average run differential. The Phillies should be winning games, but they're not.

This team is in need of change. They are passive, both on the field and in the dugout. Girardi, who's known for his extraordinary ejections, has remained quiet this year. His team is in desperate need of life and energy, but their manager has been the most lifeless of the bunch.

The same man, who in 2021 pantomimed ejecting home plate umpire Chris Segal, spoke calmly to Ángel Hernández after Kyle Schwarber lost his temper after nine agonizing innings.

Girardi sat on the top step later that week when New York Mets' reliever Yoan López hit Alec Bohm in the back after warnings had already been issued. It doesn't matter if the beaming was unintentional, Bohm was furious and Girardi did nothing to protect or show faith in his player.

Thursday night's embarrassing blown lead to the Mets should have been the nail in the coffin for Girardi. It doesn't matter if the loss wasn't his fault, the team needs a leader and he hasn't been one. The team needs a change and Girardi's position is the only one that can be changed this early in the season.

Should Girardi be canned later this week, fans can't count this team for dead. Should they make the playoffs, it wouldn't be the first time a Phillies team had fired their manager only to see success late in the season.

The 1983 Phillies fired manager Pat Corrales 86 games into the season, their record 43-42-1. General manager Paul Owens took over the reins and led the Phillies to a 47-30 record down the stretch, and a National League pennant.

Girardi is holding this club back, and whether or not his it's his fault directly, something needs to change.