Phillies Manager Interview Gets Awkward As Team Gave Up Back-to-Back-to-Back HRs

That could have gone better for Rob Thomson and the Phillies.

Rob Thomson watches a home run against the Phillies in spring training. / ESPN

Spring training is a time for baseball teams to work out their kinks as they gear up for the regular season.

On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Phillies found some kinks that will certainly need working out in the days to come.

After a rain delay, the day’s exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers finally commenced, and was broadcast on ESPN. The network took advantage of the extra access that spring training allows for, nabbing mid-game interviews with players and coaches that we sometimes see during regular-season broadcasts, but with a bit more freedom.

One of those interviews was with Phillies manager Rob Thomson, who answered questions in the second inning while newly acquired starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo was on the mound. At least, Thomson tried to answer questions—he didn’t have much of a chance to speak during one portion of the interview, as Luzardo gave up back-to-back-to-back home runs on three consecutive pitches.

Tigers outfielder Jahmai Jones got the dinger fest started with a grand slam off of a change-up Luzardo left right down the pipe, and was followed by home runs from Andy Ibanez and Gleyber Torres to jump the Tigers out to a 6–0 lead.

All Thomson could do was watch.

The @Tigers go back-to-back-to-back on three CONSECUTIVE pitches 🤯 #SpringTraining pic.twitter.com/FQxnIPA2bX

— MLB (@MLB) March 5, 2025

The Tigers tacked on six more runs in the third inning to take a 12–0 lead. This time it wasn’t Thomson, but Phillies first baseman Kody Clemens who was on the mic with ESPN, along with his father Roger Clemens.

Kody and Roger Clemens are both on headset during an inning…is a really cool dynamic…but…Kody was into it and said he forgot to hold a runner…on field players should’t ever be interviewed during a game that counts.

— paul jolovitz (@jollywipradio) March 5, 2025

Hey, at least these games don’t technically count.

---

More MLB on Sports Illustrated

feed