The Main Event
- June 3, 2022 – Manager Joe Girardi was relieved of his duties. Bench Coach Rob Thompson was named interim manager for the rest of the season.
Joe Girardi spent his playing career primarily as a catcher, winning three World Series rings as a player with the Yankees before transitioning to the dugout and winning another as a manager. After serving as the Yankees’ bench coach in 2005, Girardi was named manager of the Florida Marlins in 2006. The assignment seemed thankless: owner Jeffrey Loria had gutted the roster following a 2003 World Series title, and the team was widely projected to lose 100 games. Instead, Girardi guided the Marlins to a 78–84 record, becoming the first manager of a team with a losing record to win the NL Manager of the Year Award. The achievement spoke to what would become Girardi’s defining managerial trait — squeezing more from rosters than the talent on paper suggested. Loria fired him anyway, with two years left on his contract.
Girardi found quick success when he took over the Yankees in 2008. While they missed the postseason in his first season — the last played at old Yankee Stadium — they still finished 16 games above .500. In 2009, they christened their new ballpark with a World Series win over the Philadelphia Phillies. In his ten years as Yankee skipper, New York averaged 91 wins per season. He was let go after the 2017 season despite guiding the club through a deep postseason run, amid reported tensions with upper management.
Why the Phillies Chose Girardi
When the Phillies announced Girardi as the 55th manager in franchise history on October 24, 2019, it was meant to bring stability to a club that had cycled through four managers since Charlie Manuel‘s departure in August 2013. They selected Girardi over finalists Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker, limiting their search to managers with experience and proven track records. He joined Steve O’Neill and Bucky Harris as the only managers in Phillies history hired having previously won a World Series — a notable distinction for a franchise desperate to contend again.
Girardi was known for blending new-school analytics with traditional gut instinct, and was particularly regarded for his ability to wring optimal performance from a bullpen. Players responded well to his preparation and communication style. As catcher J.T. Realmuto put it at the time, “Some managers go 100 percent off what the computer tells them; some go all off feel. Joe has a good understanding to be able to do both.”
Girardi’s Phillies tenure was immediately disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which shortened his first season to 60 games. The club finished 28–32 in that abbreviated 2020 campaign, and despite a more promising 2021, the team consistently underperformed relative to its talent. By early June 2022, the Phillies had stumbled to a 22–29 record, prompting President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski to act.
Dombrowski had spoken with managing partner John Middleton earlier that week about possibly changing managers. He said he went for a jog early on the morning of June 3 and decided to make the move, calling Girardi to come to the ballpark before informing him he was out. Girardi finished his Phillies tenure with a 132–141 record across parts of three seasons. In a remarkable display of class, Girardi appeared on MLB Network Radio shortly after learning of his dismissal and said simply, “I just pray that they get better, and they get to the playoffs.”
Rob Thomson: The Loyal Lieutenant Who Became a Champion
Rob Thomson grew up in Corunna, Ontario, and was part of the Canadian squad that competed in baseball’s 1984 Summer Olympics demonstration event in Los Angeles. He was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 32nd round of the 1985 draft and advanced as high as Class-A before shifting his focus to coaching in 1988.
Thomson spent 28 years in the Yankees organization in roles ranging from minor league coach and manager to field coordinator and vice president of minor league development. In 2007 he served as the Yankees’ major league field coordinator, bridging the advance scouting staff and the coaching staff. When Girardi was hired to manage New York in 2008, he immediately appointed Thomson as his bench coach.
The two men built a relationship that would span decades. Thomson and Girardi were together for a decade with the Yankees and won a World Series together in 2009. When Girardi was fired following the 2017 season, Thomson was immediately identified as one of the leading candidates to succeed him — a job that ultimately went to Aaron Boone. Thomson was then hired by the Phillies as bench coach for new manager Gabe Kapler, and when Girardi replaced Kapler in 2020, he retained Thomson on his staff. One Phillies colleague noted that when Kapler reached out to Girardi about Thomson during the hiring process, Girardi told him “Rob was an incredible teammate” — in Kapler’s words, the best compliment anyone in baseball can give.
When Thomson became the interim manager on June 3, 2022 — and was then given the full-time job — Girardi expressed nothing but pride. “I am very happy for him,” Girardi said. “Rob Thomson dedicated his life to improving players, and I’m really glad he’s finally gotten a chance to show what he can do. I thought he should have had a chance a long time ago.” Thomson led the Phillies to the World Series that fall, going 65–46 over the final 111 games and reaching the Fall Classic before falling to the Astros in six games.
The story of June 3, 2022 is, ultimately, two stories: a manager’s unexpected end, and the beginning of something extraordinary for the man who replaced him — a man Girardi himself helped put in position to succeed.
Philadelphia Baseball Events for June 3
- June 3, 1884 – The Phillies drop an 11-6 decision to Boston, their 22nd straight loss to the Beaneaters dating back to the beginning of the 1883 season, the Phillies inaugural season.
- June 3, 1913 – Traded John Dodge to Cincinnati for Beals Becker, who would finish his major league career as a Phillie following the 1915 season. Becker had three solid seasons in Philadelphia where he played 338 games, hit 29 home runs, drove in 145 runs and slashed .301/.350/.461/.811.
- June 3, 1930 – Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander is released at the age of 43 after failing to pick up a win in three starts. His 373 wins tied him with Christy Matthewson for most wins in NL history.
- June 3, 1956 – Richie Ashburn goes 5-for-5 with two doubles in a 9-3 win over St. Louis. It’s the only five-hit game of his career.
- June 3, 1972 – GM John Quinn‘s retirement is announced during the ninth inning of a Phillies-Reds game. Paul Owens, the team’s farm director, was named to take his place. On the field, the Reds scored in the 10th to win the game.
- June 3, 1978 – Davey Johnson comes off the bench to hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning, pacing the Phillies to a 5-1 win over Los Angeles. It was his second pinch-hit slam of the year, making him the first player to accomplish a multi-slam season.
- June 3, 2007 – Hosting San Francisco at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies give out Shane Victorino hula bobble heads. On the field, Shane hits a home run with the score tied in the ninth for a 9-8 walk-off win.
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Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for June 3
- Dick Young (born 1928) – A second baseman who had just two seasons in the majors, both with the Phillies. He played in 15 games in 1951 and five more in 1952. He hit .234 in 81 plate appearances.
- Max Lazar (born 1999) – A right-handed reliever, Lazar is currently with Lehigh Valley. He has pitched in 47 MLB games for the Phillies with a 4.75 ERA.
- Harrison Bader (born 1994) – Acquired from Minnesota at the 2025 trade deadline, Bader hit .305/.361/.463/.824 in 50 games with the 2025 Phillies, helping lead them to the NLCS. He signed with San Francisco as a free agent during the offseason and is hitting just 5-14-.170/.198/.358/.557 in 30 games.
- Albertt Medina (born 2008) – A right-handed pitcher currently pitching for the Phillies in the Dominican Summer League.
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