SF Giants to face Phillies after Philadelphia fires manager Thomson
PHILADELPHIA - Around four o'clock local time, more than two dozen reporters crammed into the Philadelphia Phillies' first-base dugout at Citizens Bank Park. A Tuesday in April typically doesn't warrant such an audience, but as of this morning, a new manager is running the show in Philadelphia.
Ahead of the Giants' three-game series in Philadelphia, the Phillies made the bold decision to fire manager Rob Thomson following the team's 9-19 start. Thomson ends his tenure as manager in Philadelphia with a .568 winning percentage, the highest of any manager in franchise history (since 1900).
Thomson's replacement will be Don Mattingly, who had his share of battles with the Giants as the Los Angeles Dodgers' manager from 2011-15. Mattingly also managed the Marlins from 2016-22 and has a lifetime record of 889-950.
"It's odd or unique news on the way to the ballpark," Giants manager Tony Vitello said. "On the way to the ballpark, normally it's guys listening to their headphones or music or whatever, but we were already chatting about today. I don't know what it is about today, but it's loud in the locker room, it's chatty everywhere, and part of that on our bus too was just talking about the game.
"Our lineup is a little bit different look today, too, so we were all just kind of focused on that stuff. It's tough to peel back the curtain of somewhere you're not at and kind of know what's going on, but yeah, definitely unique news."
The Phillies' firing of Thomson comes just days after the Boston Red Sox, who traded Rafael Devers to the Giants last June, fired manager Alex Cora. Cora reportedly declined an offer to become the Phillies' newest manager.
The Giants have had a direct hand in the Phillies' poor start. San Francisco not only took two of three from Philadelphia when the teams met at Oracle Park three weeks ago, but the Giants' pitching staff combined for back-to-back shutouts and held the Phillies' offense scoreless for 20 straight innings to end the series.
Vitello said he's never crossed paths with Mattingly, but noted that hitting coach Hunter Mense worked with Mattingly for three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays.
"A real hitter, but also a complete player because he was so complete defensively," Vitello said of Mattingly. "He could drive the ball out of the ballpark. I loved reading the old newspaper and would always follow the batting averages, and he was always in the top 10 and in the hunt for a batting title.
"There's also a little bit of a unique stance. When you're younger in the backyard, you make teams and you pretend you're the guys, and that was a stance that was fun to impersonate. But a hitting ability that almost nobody can impersonate."
Vitello has never faced a team that had just fired their coach the same day or week, but he did recall how Florida State fired its head coach, Mike Martin Jr., on June 10, 2022. That was relevant to Vitello because Tennessee was playing Notre Dame in the Knoxville Super Regional, and Notre Dame's head coach, Link Jarrett, was expected to replace Martin at Florida State.
"It was interesting news," Vitello said. "You can waste time wondering how it's going to affect things or how it's going to happen, but one thing I mentioned earlier, just to backtrack, is it's chaos. Someone had asked me about our players reading the news or our team. The vibe I've gotten since I've been here is it's chaos. … I think a chaotic way of life in pro sports is kind of the actual norm."
Worth noting
* Catcher Daniel Susac (right elbow ulnar neuritis) began his hitting progression and will start throwing this week.
* Right-hander Jason Foley (recovery from right shoulder surgery) will throw live batting practice on Tuesday in Arizona.
* Center fielder Harrison Bader (left hamstring strain) will start baserunning on Tuesday in Arizona.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 3:16 PM.