Shock therapy in Philadelphia: Don Mattingly has put the foot down 
Back in January, Don Mattingly swore he would not be doing this again. Running a baseball team? Not for him. It only took a phone call from Phillies boss Dave Dombrowski to change his mind. On Tuesday morning, Rob Thomson was shown the door after a disastrous start to the season (9-19), and Mattingly pulled on the uniform. The message was simple: play better baseball. And the impact was instant, with a crushing 7-0 win over the Giants.
The veterans finally wake up
On the field, this looked like a different team. Jesus Luzardo, who had been lugging around an ugly 6.91 ERA, suddenly found his command and threw seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts. He became the first Phillies starter to last that long this season. At the plate, Trea Turner led the charge with four hits, while Alec Bohm finally showed some signs of life. Mattingly could see it coming: with that much talent in the clubhouse, all it needed was a spark to get the thing moving again.
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Guilt hangs over the clubhouse
For all the celebration, there was a sour edge to it. The players know their own poor play cost Topper, Rob Thomson, his job. Trea Turner did not hide from that reality: “It is not him missing ground balls or throwing pitches. It is us.” Kyle Schwarber, who also lived through Joe Girardi’s firing in 2022, feels the same way. For these veterans, watching a good manager go because of their own mistakes is a hard pill to swallow, even if the change has clearly brought a needed lift.
Mattingly, the expert at rescue jobs
If anyone knows how to handle a mess, it is Mattingly. As a Yankees player, he played under nine different managers. But it is his spell with the Dodgers in 2013 that gives Phillies fans real hope. That team was buried in June before ripping off a stunning surge to win the division. “We have that kind of talent here,” the new boss says. If the Phillies keep looking in the mirror and keep producing like they did on Tuesday night, this season is nowhere near over.
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