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Rob Thomson doesn’t like to look too far ahead.
Published Oct 22, 2025 • 3 minute read
Phillies manager Rob Thomson speaks at an Oct. 16 news conference in Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke/The Associated Press)Article content
Rob Thomson doesn’t like to look too far ahead.
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The Philadelphia Phillies’ manager, nearly two weeks removed from a heartbreaking loss in Los Angeles that ended the club’s season, is back home in Sebringville and away from the pressures of a job that is sometimes all-consuming.
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“It’s great hanging out in the Stratford, Sebringville area – it’s beautiful,” he said. “It’s very quiet where I live, and it’s nice to get back and settle down and watch TV and relax.”
There’s very little downtime during the season, and Thomson stuck around Philly to get more work done in the days after Game 4 of the National League Divisional Series against the Dodgers. The 62-year-old is also expected to sign a one-year contract extension this winter that will keep him with the Phillies through 2027.
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“At my age, I don’t want to get too far out,” he said. “It’s comfortable for me. It doesn’t put added pressure on me to keep going if maybe I don’t want to, and it doesn’t put extra pressure on the club if a guy has another five years (on his contract) and you think he’s lost the clubhouse and doesn’t get the job done. It gives them the freedom to move on.”
Thomson, then the Phillies’ bench coach, thought 2022 would be the last in his long career, but he was promoted to manager in June of that season after Joe Girardi was fired. He’s since guided the Phillies to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons as manager, something only three others have done in Major League Baseball history.
“I love Topper, man,” Phillies’ star Bryce Harper told media after the season. “He’s done a great job for us. I don’t know what the future holds. I have no idea . . . but obviously, you know we love Topper in here. He’s been great for us.”
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Philadelphia’s 96 wins in 2025 were second in the league, and the Phillies received a first-round playoff bye, but the National League East champs fell short against a Dodgers squad that “got some hits when they needed it, and got some outs when they needed it,” Thomson said.
“I think whenever you don’t win a world championship, it’s somewhat of a failure,” he continued. “It’s very disappointing, but I think overall in the regular season we were very good and very consistent.
“It was a very close series. Two really good teams going at it. If you look at all the statistical data, everything was pretty much even.”
The season ended when Phillies’ pitcher Orion Kerkering bobbled a comebacker and threw wildly to home plate instead of first base. Thomson was at the top step of the dugout to console the young reliever as the Dodgers celebrated.
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“I just felt bad for him because I felt like he thought the entire season would fall on him, and it’s not true,” Thomson said. “So many things happened in that game or the series. . . . I didn’t want him to feel like that was all on him.”
Thomson has watched condensed playoff games from other teams since his season ended – there are always things to learn – but it’s not easy.
“It’s difficult because you think you should be there,” he said.
Instead of preparing for a World Series clash with the Blue Jays, it’s the Dodgers who are headed to Toronto.
“Their starting pitching is tremendous,” Thomson said of Los Angeles. “It was a dogfight between us and them because both rotations were really good. You gotta try to get into their bullpen if you can, which can be difficult, and somehow you have to control the top of their lineup.”
That’s a problem for another season. Thomson is taking things one year at a time.
“I’m never worried about losing my job,” he said. “It’s just who I am. You go about your business, and those decisions are out of your control. I’m happy with my career, but I’d like to at least win one more World Series.”
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