While fired Phillies manager Rob Thomson faced the music, team president Dave Dombrowski didn’t want to hear it.
When speaking to reporters after firing his manager Tuesday with a 9-19 record, Dombrowski refused to answer a question about why he is the right guy to lead the team going forward, given shoddy roster construction and poor production.
“You can answer that question, I’m not going to get into that,” Dombrowski responded with a smile on his face.
It’s a stark difference from how Thomson handled himself after he was fired by the Phillies; he stood in front of reporters and answered questions about his job.
“If you’re an accountable person and you’re a leader, you’re going to stand up and answer the questions when it’s all over,” Thomson said on Tuesday night.
It’s rare that a fired manager stands in front of the media for a farewell press conference.
During the press conference, he pointed out that his favorite moments in the job were leading the Phillies to the 2022 National League title.
The ugly start this season. though, was enough to get him shown the door.
Philadelphia has the fourth-lowest OPS in all of baseball, ahead of only the Red Sox, Giants and Mets.
They’ve really faltered on the mound, as the Phillies have the third-highest WHIP and are allowing hitters to hit .280, by far the highest in all of baseball in that category, with the next worst being .268.
The Phillies didn’t do much this offseason, choosing to run it back with their team by re-signing Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, though they were reportedly in on Bo Bichette before the Mets swooped him away from Dombrowski.
The Phillies have the fourth-highest payroll in the league, spending $296 million on this team.
They did win Tuesday in their first game with Don Mattingly as the interim manager, defeating the Giants 7-0. Jesus Luzardo, who had struggled badly in his previous three starts, fired seven shutout innings with just two hits allowed and eight strikeouts.
