Major Change Has Proven To Be Right Move by Phillies Early On

A major move made by the Philadelphia Phillies has proven to be the right one early on.

Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies head coach Rob Thomson (49) makes a pitching change against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies got off to a terrible start to the season, which led to some fairly quick changes for the team. So far, those changes have paid off for them. 

Following a (9-19) start to the year, the Phillies made the decision to fire their manager, Rob Thomson. Even though Thomson has been able to make the playoffs every year as the team's manager, the time to make a move felt right, and they pulled the trigger. 

Due to the slow start and first-round exits for the Phillies in each of the last two years, it wasn’t surprising to see them make a change. While they pursued the recently fired Alex Cora, they ended up with Don Mattingly as their manager, and he will bring a lot of bench experience. 

Philadelphia will certainly be hoping that history repeats itself a bit with the firing of Thomson. When the Phillies gave him the job, it was to replace Joe Girardi when the team was struggling. That year, Thomson helped lead the Phillies to the World Series. 

This is still a very talented veteran group, and the firing of Thomson has seemingly woken them up a bit. Since Mattingly has taken over, Philadelphia is starting to get going. 

Firing Thomson Has Created a Spark

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brad Keller | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Even though the struggles of the Phillies aren't all Thomson’s fault, the team has performed a lot better since he was fired. To start, Philadelphia was able to sweep the San Francisco Giants with two walk-off wins. Getting the sweep was a big shift of momentum for the team, and they were able to carry that into their four-game series against the Miami Marlins. 

In the four-game set on the road, the Phillies were able to take three out of four games, securing their second straight series win. With a (6-1) record since Mattingly has taken over, the team is making a nice run. 

While the offense hasn’t been perfect, they have scored at least six runs in four of the seven games. Furthermore, what has really been strong is the pitching staff. This is expected to be the strength of the team, and they have been really good of late. 

Even though it likely wasn’t all to be blamed on Thomson, his firing has proven to be the right move to wake up this veteran group. Now, the Phillies will be seeking to continue to build momentum and move up the standings.