PHILLIES’ GIRARDI FIRST MANAGER FIRED IN ’22

Joe Girardi managed a Philadelphia Phillies team with the reigning NL MVP, five 2021 All-Stars, a $224 million payroll that nudged the franchise above the luxury tax and expectations of ending the longest playoff drought in the National League.

Buried deep in the NL East standings, and with a sagging bullpen, defensive deficiencies and slumbering starts from some of their high-priced veterans, Girardi paid the price for Philadelphia’s miserable start. He was fired Friday, becoming the first major league manager to lose his job this season after failing to turn a team with a record payroll into a playoff contender.

Bench coach Rob Thomson was named interim manager.

The Phillies also fired coaching assistant Bobby Meacham (San Diego State alum) and promoted Mike Calitri to bench coach.

Expected to contend for the NL East title, the Phillies are 22-29 and 12 games behind the first-place New York Mets. The Phillies entered Friday 51⁄2 games out of the second NL wildcard spot.

“Oh, I think we can make the playoffs. I think we’re in a position where we can battle back to do that. I do believe that,” President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said.

Girardi’s first year with Philadelphia was the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

The Phillies went 82-80 last year and he ends his tenure with a 132-141 record. Girardi managed the New York Yankees from 2008-17 and the Florida Marlins in 2006.

The Phillies have lost 12 of 17 games heading into the opener of Friday’s threegame series against the Los Angeles Angels.

“We underperformed and that falls on me. This is what happens,” Girardi told SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio. “I think there’s more talent in that room than the way we have played.”

“It’s not something that can’t be fixed and changed,” Dombrowski said.

“I think we already started some of those changes this winter time when we made some changes within our system, our organization, a lot of changes, but those things don’t show up overnight.”

Notable

The Dodgers opened the season with an all-time high $310.6 million payroll for purposes of the luxury tax and are on track to pay a record tax of nearly $47 million.

Five teams exceeded the $230 million threshold as of opening day, with the Mets at $289.3 million, the Yankees at $261.4 million, Philadelphia at $233.1 million and Boston at $232.3 million.

The struggling Twins arrived in Toronto without regular right fielder Max Kepler and relief pitchers Emilio Pagan, Caleb Thielbar and Trevor Megill.

The four players are on the restricted list to comply with the Canadian government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.