As the Philadelphia Phillies sit on the verge of elimination courtesy of the defending World Series champions, Rob Thomson may have sealed his own fate as the team’s manager.
After Nick Castellanos doubled in the bottom of the ninth, Thomson made the decision to have Bryson Stott bunt in an effort to get Castellanos to third with only one out. Not only did it not work, the Phillies couldn’t drive in the tying run.
ESPN’s Paul “Hembo” Hembekides didn’t hesitate to call out Thomson for his egregious decision-making.
“The two decisions that will define Rob Thomson’s tenure as Phillies manager: Pulling Zack Wheeler for Jose Alvarado to face Yordan Alvarez in the World Series Taking the bat out of Bryson Stott’s hands in the 9th inning tonight,” he wrote on X. “Both left us speechless.”
He elaborated on his thoughts on Stott’s situation Monday night.
“Stott is a left-handed hitter, and if you’re playing for just one, all you need is a ground ball to the right side which Stott has done many times,” Hembekides told Newsweek. “However, you should never play for just one run with zero outs and a runner in scoring position.”
When asked about the decision postgame, Thomson defended his thought process.
“Left on left, we’re trying to tie the score,” Thomson told On Pattison’s Tim Kelly. “I liked where our bullpen was at.”
Thomson not admitting fault makes his look even worse, in Hembekides’ opinion.
“Anyone who has been in a dugout and knows baseball shouldn’t make these mistakes especially when the Dodgers are running the wheel play,” said Hembekides. “Doubling down on your decision shows a lack of awareness with relying on old school tactics that have been debunked.”
Losing the first two games of a best-of-five series at home is never a good situation to be in, and it’s going to be extremely difficult for the Phillies to win the next two games in Los Angeles and then win Game 5 in Philadelphia. It’s hard to see Thomson sticking around regardless of how many games it takes to eliminate his team.
“There’s a non-zero chance he returns for next season, but it’s extremely unlikely due to tangible mistakes and a lack of playoff success,” said Hembekides. “You can’t afford to push the wrong buttons when you know they’re wrong. Thomson doesn’t deserve to come back based on regular season success that is essentially an exhibition for a best-of-five series in the playoffs. And the Phillies have a roster they believe should’ve advanced farther in their last two playoff runs.”
If Thomson is fired, the Phillies will join a list of seven other teams still looking for a new manager this offseason and become the ninth team to move on from their skipper. His only chance of sticking around is to do the unthinkable and complete the reverse sweep.
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