HOUSTON –
Rob Thomson is type of an enormous deal again house, as the first Canadian-born manager to take a workforce to the World Series.
Family and pals north of the border inform him “all people’s behind us, it is a large story, and that is nice.”
Still, Thomson’s focus is deep in the coronary heart of Texas, the place his Philadelphia Phillies — the workforce he took over as manager in early June — play the Houston Astros in Game 1 on Friday night time.
“I imply, it is nice. I’m a proud Canadian and I really like my nation. I really like what we stand for,” he mentioned Thursday, after the workforce’s exercise in Houston. “But to let you know the reality I’m simply pleased to be managing a workforce in the World Series.”
A workforce that was 22-29 when Joe Girardi was fired and changed by Thomson, the bench coach with a even-keel manner who would slightly be speaking about baseball than himself, although the sport and the 59-year-old baseball lifer are just about intertwined.
“He’s been implausible. He’s greater than you possibly can even ask for. What he is achieved, he is simply introduced us collectively. He’s offered a gradual hand,” Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski mentioned. “He’s very educated, he is low key. But he additionally, for those who do not do one thing effectively, he’ll let you understand about it in his personal style. He communicates so effectively, and he leads so effectively.”
Thomson was nonetheless the interim manager when the common season ended, however that tag was eliminated and he received a two-year contract by 2024 after their first playoff collection victory since 2010.
While Thomson is a first-time World Series manager, that is the fourth totally different workforce Dombrowski has been with at the World Series.
Dombrowski was the youngest common manager in baseball historical past at the time when he took over the Montreal Expos in 1988 at 31 years previous. He joined the growth Florida Marlins in 1991, two years earlier than their first sport, and was the chief architect of their 1997 World Series championship. He was GM in Detroit when the Tigers went to the 2012 World Series, and a part of Boston’s final title in 2018.
“I’m very lucky to do one thing that I really like,” Dombrowski mentioned whereas sitting in the Phillies dugout, a day after the twenty fifth anniversary of the Marlins’ series-clinching Game 7 victory over Cleveland. “It’s not about my state of affairs, nevertheless it’s about being with the organizations which you could share that in the communities.”
This is not the first World Series for Thomson, who spent 28 seasons in the Yankees group. Ten of these seasons had been on the large league employees with Girardi and included New York’s final World Series and title in 2009.
The Phillies are again in Houston, the place they clinched their wild-card spot with a 3-0 win over the Astros on Oct. 3 in Game 160. They went 65-46 after Thomson took over.
“If anyone is aware of Rob, he is the most even-keeled man on the market. He by no means will get too up. He by no means will get too down. I really feel like that is our workforce,” Phillies Game 1 starter Aaron Nola mentioned.
Thomson might turn into solely the third large league manager to win a World Series after being a midseason alternative. The others had been Bob Lemon with the 1978 Yankees after changing Billy Martin, and Jack McKeon taking on for Jeff Torborg throughout the Marlins’ 2003 title run.
Dusty Baker, the 73-year-old manager in his second consecutive World Series with Houston, would not actually know Thomson. But the veteran manager searching for his first championship received a congratulatory name from him after Houston clinched the AL title, solely hours after Philadelphia had wrapped up the NL crown.
“I’ve heard nothing however good issues about him from varied those who have identified him, particularly individuals out of New York,” Baker mentioned. “I simply received by speaking to — I do not know which one is older, however the actual Robby Thomson performed for me in San Francisco, and I simply received off the telephone with Robby.”
For the file, the former Giants second baseman is a 12 months older than the Phillies manager.