Phillies fire Joe Girardi after 22-29 start

The Philadelphia Phillies parted ways with manager Joe Girardi, the team announced Friday.

Philadelphia sits third in the NL East amid a disappointing 22-29 start to Girardi's third season with the club. Bench coach Rob Thomson has been named the interim manager through the end of the year.

"It has been a frustrating season for us up until this point, as we feel that our club has not played up to its capabilities," team president Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "While all of us share the responsibilities for the shortcomings, I felt that a change was needed and that a new voice in the clubhouse would give us the best chance to turn things around.

"I believe we have a talented group that can get back on track, and I am confident that Rob, with his experience and familiarity with our club, is the right man to lead us going forward."

Girardi, who previously managed the New York Yankees for 10 seasons from 2008-17, joined the Phillies as Gabe Kapler's replacement ahead of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Philly posted a 28-32 record in his first year on the job before improving to 82-80 over a full schedule last season.

The Phillies were underwhelming to start the 2022 season despite having MLB's fourth-highest payroll.

Being elevated to interim manager represents Thomson's first opportunity to lead a clubhouse, but he brings plenty of big-league coaching experience. The 58-year-old has been the bench coach in Philadelphia since 2018. He previously spent 28 years in the Yankees organization, including 10 seasons on Girardi's coaching staff.