Rob Thomson doesn\u2019t like to look too far ahead.<\/p>\n
Published Oct 22, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson speaks at an Oct. 16 news conference in Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke\/The Associated Press)Article content<\/p>\n
Rob Thomson doesn\u2019t like to look too far ahead.<\/p>\n
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The Philadelphia Phillies\u2019 manager, nearly two weeks removed from a heartbreaking loss in Los Angeles that ended the club\u2019s season, is back home in Sebringville and away from the pressures of a job that is sometimes all-consuming.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s great hanging out in the Stratford, Sebringville area \u2013 it\u2019s beautiful,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s very quiet where I live, and it\u2019s nice to get back and settle down and watch TV and relax.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAt my age, I don\u2019t want to get too far out,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s comfortable for me. It doesn\u2019t put added pressure on me to keep going if maybe I don\u2019t want to, and it doesn\u2019t put extra pressure on the club if a guy has another five years (on his contract) and you think he\u2019s lost the clubhouse and doesn\u2019t get the job done. It gives them the freedom to move on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomson, then the Phillies\u2019 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love Topper, man,\u201d Phillies\u2019 star Bryce Harper told media after the season. \u201cHe\u2019s done a great job for us. I don\u2019t know what the future holds. I have no idea . . .\u00a0 but obviously, you know we love Topper in here. He\u2019s been great for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Philadelphia\u2019s 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 \u201cgot some hits when they needed it, and got some outs when they needed it,\u201d Thomson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think whenever you don\u2019t win a world championship, it\u2019s somewhat of a failure,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt\u2019s very disappointing, but I think overall in the regular season we were very good and very consistent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The season ended when Phillies\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI just felt bad for him because I felt like he thought the entire season would fall on him, and it\u2019s not true,\u201d Thomson said. \u201cSo many things happened in that game or the series. . . .\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want him to feel like that was all on him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomson has watched condensed playoff games from other teams since his season ended \u2013 there are always things to learn \u2013 but it\u2019s not easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s difficult because you think you should be there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Instead of preparing for a World Series clash with the Blue Jays, it\u2019s the Dodgers who are headed to Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir starting pitching is tremendous,\u201d Thomson said of Los Angeles. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a problem for another season. Thomson is taking things one year at a time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m never worried about losing my job,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just who I am. You go about your business, and those decisions are out of your control. I\u2019m happy with my career, but I\u2019d like to at least win one more World Series.\u201d<\/p>\n