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The Philadelphia Phillies replaced manager Rob Thomson with Don Mattingly, leading to an immediate turnaround with four consecutive wins.
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MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 01: Interim manager Don Mattingly #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies conducts a pregame interview against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 01, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Calvin Hernandez/Getty Images)
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The Philadelphia Phillies responded well to a major change at the helm.
As their season careened out of control, the front office replaced long-time manager Rob Thomson with bench coach Don Mattingly and it seemed to provide a wake-up call to the roster, as the Phillies went on to win four straight games to open up the new era.
It didnât appear that Mattingly made any significant changes to the lineup or player preparation before the teamâs sudden turnaround, but franchise slugger Bryce Harper explained that the move might have offered the players a welcomed change of tone.
âI think we were all just kind of waiting for that ball to drop,â Harper said on Monday, after powering a win over the Miami Marlins, according to NBC Sports Philadelphiaâs Jim Salisbury. âIt was just kind of we need to get over this hump and get through this, whatever that looked like. So, as a team, weâre coming out and playing our game, understanding that we didnât play well the first few weeks of the season. April is behind us so weâve got to step forward and play better.â
The Phillies replaced Rob Thomson due to a poor start to the season, hoping to spark a turnaround.
Don Mattingly led the Phillies to four straight victories immediately after becoming the interim manager.
Rob Thomson was the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies for several seasons before being replaced.
Before Mattingly took over, the Phillies were struggling significantly, prompting the management change.
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Though itâs hard to pinpoint any specific changes Mattingly has made so far, he is bringing some clear differences to the managerâs role compared to his predecessor. For one, Mattingly enjoyed a long and successful career in the major leagues as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, while Thomson never reached that level in his own playing career.
And it also seems that Mattingly picked up a thing or two from his time with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he reached last yearâs World Series as the bench coach.
The new Phillies skipper has called for regular meetings among his entire staff and other members of the organization to examine everything that is and is not working, citing his time with the Blue Jays as a key reason.
âItâs something that they do in Toronto, and itâs something I like,â Mattingly explained, per MLB.comâs Todd Zolecki. âItâs more that I liked it in Toronto. I thought it was a good thing. And you bring it with you. Thereâs things in your whole career, you bring with you. Somebody shows me something, I like it, it becomes mine. Thatâs what I do now.â
Mattingly picked up the practice during a successful run with the Blue Jays and, as the Phillies look to save their playoff hopes, it appears to be something that could help his new team.
The skipper explained that the meetings will happen every three weeks and that they will include âeverybody in there,â including members of the front office. The goal appears to be distinguishing between anomalies and legitimate trends that need to be addressed during the marathon baseball season.
And, if it helped drive the Blue Jays to their postseason success last year, the Phillies should be embracing the new practice.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com