The Phillies manager is aiming for his fourth playoff appearance

Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson is a baseball fan of the heart.

As Thomson begins his fourth season with the Phillies overseeing the Duggout, Saturday’s opening day game on the spring training schedule is appropriately on the roads of Lakeland, Florida. 1985-1988) focused on Lakeland facilities, which are affectionately known to the club’s fan base as Tigger Town.

Growing up in Corna, Ontario, Canada, near the coast of Lake Huron and 65 miles north of Detroit, Thomson followed the Tigers. Whether they were going on road trips with their families to Tiger Stadium at the time or catching aired games, Thomson followed their favourite team closely.

“I love baseball,” Thompson, 61, told the Epoch Times. “I always thought of myself as part of the great Tigers fan.”

Thomson recalls checking out the game stories in newspapers and paying attention to the Detroit Box scores of local newspapers. One particular Detroit outfielder called attention as a child. Al Carine is “Tiger by Mr. Media Outlet.” Thomson admits he still gets goosebumps when discussing his greatest ball player of all time.

“I saw him towards the tail end of his career. The guy could do it all on the field and with his bat. When (Kaline) was elected to the Hall of Fame , Tiger fans weren’t happy for him (as me).

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However, the fan story of the Tigers in Thomson’s fairy tale has improved. At age 21, after three successful seasons at Kansas, Thomson was selected by the Tigers in the 32nd round of MLB’s 1985 amateur draft. In part of three seasons playing for the Lakeland Tigers in the Class A Florida League, his teammates include future Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz (1986) and current Arizona Diamondbacks skipper Tory Rovrulo (1987). was included.

“When I signed with the Tigers and went to my first spring training in Lakeland, I was the happiest kid in the game. At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, when baseball was a demonstration sport. Thomson, who played for Team Canada, said:

Joining the Phillies in 2018, Thomson served as the bench coach throughout the start of the 2022 season, serving as manager Joe Guirardi’s “right arm” for three seasons. In June 2022, the Philadelphia front office changed its dugout.

Girardi was fired and his longtime friend and best friend on the field, Thomson, was tentatively given the reins. Originally planning to retire after the 2022 season, Thomson changed his plans based on his club’s performance and success in getting players to acquire his strategy. The Phillies won the National League pennant and then took the Houston Astros to six games in the 118th edition of the World Series.

Today, Grapefruitreeg’s exhibition games aside, over the next four weeks at the Phillies’ Spring headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, Thomson is all doing business to form a roster that wants to come north at the end of next month. Masu.

Philadelphia is one of the most powerful clubs in the National League, and Thomson is being driven back to fall classics. For the third season in a row under Thomson’s leadership, the Phillies have seen postseason action. After the World Series, the 2023 club advanced to the National League Championship Series. Last season, the Phillies lost to the New York Mets in their play in the National League Division Series.

Stubborns like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber lead the Phillies offense, with solid pitching expected from Ace Zack Wheeler, and the odds say Thomson’s club will make a postseason again. I support it.

Thompson said he didn’t think he could reach the level he currently has while falling in love with baseball in the close-korna community (population 6,200). It was always his passion for the game that led Thomson. When deciding who is the next player called from Triple-A, or who is looking on the exemption list, Thomson always has clubs and fans in mind.

And every time Thomson stepped into the field, that teenage Tigers fan is still among him.