Phillies fire Rob Thomson, name Don Mattingly interim manager - ESPN

The Philadelphia Phillies, off to their worst start to a season in over two decades, fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday.

Thomson, who managed the Phillies to four straight playoff appearances — including the 2022 World Series, will be replaced by Don Mattingly, who will serve as Philadelphia's interim manager through the remainder of the season.

Mattingly will now officially work for one of his sons — Preston Mattingly is the Phillies' general manager — in what is believed to be the first father-son manager-GM combination in baseball history.

The Phillies (9-19), the preseason favorite in the NL East, have lost 11 of their past 12 games and entered Tuesday tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in Major League Baseball.

Despite a projected payroll of just over $315 million for 2026, the Phillies are off to their worst 28-game start since 2002, when they also started 9-19.

Before deciding on Mattingly as Thomson's interim replacement, the Phillies did background work on the availability of Alex Cora, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney.

But sources told Olney that the timing was not right for Cora, who was fired as Red Sox manager in stunning fashion Saturday after seven-plus seasons in Boston.

Cora worked under Phillies top executive Dave Dombrowski when the latter served as Boston's president of baseball operations 2015-19.

Thomson went 355-270 and had led a Phillies team loaded with high-priced talent that included Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner to consecutive NL East titles. Thomson, a 62-year-old baseball lifer finally promoted to his first managerial stint in 2022, signed a contract extension in the offseason through the 2027 season and was again expected to lead the Phillies into World Series