Phillies sign manager Rob Thomson to 1-year extension

PHILADELPHIA — Call him Philly Rob. Call him Topper.

Whatever the nickname, the Philadelphia Phillies can call Rob Thomson their manager for at least two more seasons.

The Phillies signed Thomson to a one-year contract extension through the 2025 season after he led the team to two straight trips to the NL Championship Series.

He worked most of 2022 as an interim manager. Now, Thomson won’t have to enter 2024 as a lame-duck one.

“It’s good to know that you’ve got that extra year,” Thomson said Monday at baseball’s winter meetings, “but if I didn’t get it, it probably wouldn’t have bothered me.”

The 60-year-old Thomson has a 155118 record since the veteran bench coach replaced Joe Girardi as Phillies manager on June 3, 2022. Thomson led the Phillies to the 2022 World Series, where they lost in six games to the Houston Astros. The Phillies returned to the NLCS this season but blew series leads of 2-0 and 3-2 with Games 6 and 7 at home against Arizona.

Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos went 5 for 53 (.094) with 11 walks, 22 strikeouts and two RBIS in Philadelphia’s four NLCS losses. Against six Arizona pitchers in Game 7, the four went 1 for 15 with five strikeouts and no RBIS.

Thomson led the Phillies to a 90-72 record in 2023 and their first 90-win season since 2011. This past October he became only the third manager in MLB history to win 18 of his first 25 postseason games, joining Hall of Famers Joe Mccarthy and Casey Stengel.

Thomson has been with the club since the 2018 season when he was first hired as bench coach under former manager Gabe Kapler.

Thomson had said he planned to retire after the 2022 season until he was promoted to the manager’s job. Thomson said after this season he had no plans to quit and intended to manage as long as the Phillies wanted him.