Ever since the Philadelphia Phillies let go of manager Joe Girardi and handed the reins over to bench coach Rob Thomson, things have been a lot different in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Phils were 22-29 when Girardi was fired.
Since then, they have been a completely different team, going 57-33 since Thomson took over the managerial position.
Only the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves have better records in that span of games.
In fact, if the postseason began today, the Phillies would be in, thus putting an end to the longest active playoff drought in the National League and setting the Phils up with a Wild Card series in Atlanta.
How Thomson Transformed The Phillies
Things just weren’t clicking with Girardi as the manager.
So naturally, a change was necessary.
And that change has surely paid dividends.
This is a team that hasn’t been to the postseason since 2011 after being a playoff mainstay for so many years.
Their run ended in the NLDS that year.
Thomson has completely transformed the Phillies and turned them into the contender that they were expected to be entering the season.
This is a ballclub with a ton of promise heading into October, should they end up clinching a spot.
But it’s been a long time since they got to experience the postseason and now, they look ready to get to October and do some damage for the first time in a while.
Philadelphia came close last season, but it wasn’t enough.
Now here they are with a new manager and a new identity.
This is a good team that could be a strong contender for a World Series crown.
They always had the pieces necessary.
But now they have just the man to lead the charge.
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