'He has the pulse of it': How Rob Thomson has kept his cool during World Series run

PHILADELPHIA -- The shot gods wasted nary clip successful giving Philadelphia Phillies brag Rob Thomson his archetypal large managerial infinitesimal successful the Fall Classic.

Five months aft taking implicit from the fired Joe Girardi, Thomson had already navigated the Phillies' underwhelming extremity to the regular play and 3 challenging rounds of the postseason, including a three-game wild-card bid that nary manager had ever faced. Now, successful Game 1 against the heavy favored Houston Astros, Thomson had a speedy determination to make.

After going down 5-0 early, his squad had conscionable tied the crippled successful the apical of the 5th inning. Starter Aaron Nola, usually 1 of Philadelphia's aces, was astatine 81 pitches already, and intelligibly struggling -- but going to the bullpen aft conscionable the archetypal 4.1 innings successful a best-of-seven bid was plentifulness risky, too.

Thomson picked the risky move.

He enactment successful person Jose Alvarado, who secured the last 2 outs of the 5th and the archetypal of the sixth. But the 58 twelvemonth aged manager wasn't done -- helium would usage 4 much of his champion relievers to guarantee his squad held connected for a 6-5 roadworthy win.

"He has the pulse of it," Phillies President Dave Dombrowski would accidental the adjacent day. "And helium has my support."

It was conscionable the latest illustration of the deft interaction Thomson has shown during his archetypal twelvemonth managing the Phillies -- though his biggest moments are undoubtedly to travel arsenic his squad attempts to enactment live successful the World Series, trailing 3-2 heading into Game 6 connected Saturday nighttime successful Houston.

His connection to the squad could precise good beryllium 1 he's told to himself astir his ain career. After all, this was not a antheral connected the accelerated way to managing.

"I don't deliberation there's immoderate crushed to panic," Thomson said connected Friday. "We conscionable person to support doing what we're doing and ore connected doing the small things. I ever archer 'em, absorption connected the small things and large things volition happen."

Big things happened for Thomson successful June, and they support connected happening good into October.

He's already earned a two-year hold aft conscionable a partial play connected the job. But portion Thomson's sure-footedness mightiness look preternatural, it's really been honed by years connected coaching staffs, including six years arsenic the seat manager for the Phillies and Yankees earlier that.

In fact, erstwhile Thomson took implicit for Girardi, it was not his archetypal clip being considered to pb the Phillies. Two years before, erstwhile manager Gabe Kapler was fired, the enactment considered then-bench manager Thomson for the occupation earlier coming to a communal determination not to interrogation him.

"When we were hiring earlier Joe, we talked to him astir taking the job," Phillies proprietor John Middleton said. "And helium said no. He said I don't deliberation I'm the idiosyncratic for it. I deliberation you should spell retired and get idiosyncratic else."

It was axenic Thomson, who, according to those that cognize him best, has ne'er politicked for a promotion.

"I agreed with them that they needed an experienced guy," Thomson said.

So alternatively of taking the job, Thomson helped the beforehand bureau successful picking Kapler's successor. But aft Girardi brought a buttoned-up attack to the clubhouse, Middleton and Dombrowski knew they wanted thing antithetic -- and who they wanted for it. It was Thomson's clip -- astatine slightest they hoped it would be.

"When Dave started talking astir this determination successful May," Middleton recalled, "I said to him 'I don't cognize if he's going to instrumentality the job.' He didn't consciousness helium was the close feline for it (last time), which evidently (turned retired to be) an incorrect evaluation."

So wherefore was Thomson unfastened this clip to the anticipation of taking a occupation helium had antecedently turned down?

"Different circumstances," helium said.

What mightiness person been incorrect successful 2019 abruptly seemed right. The squad wasn't winning nether the tightly controlled ambiance with Girardi astatine the helm. A looser grip -- successful speech for a deficiency of acquisition -- turned retired to beryllium the close call.

"We didn't person everyone feeling the champion versions of themselves and erstwhile Thomson was capable to travel in, with nary unit connected him, helium conscionable went retired and fto shot beryllium played," close fielder Nick Castellanos stated.

But still, a World Series tally -- adjacent a playoff tally -- were nary definite thing, particularly erstwhile Thomson took implicit the 22-29 team.

"You ne'er cognize however a feline is going to respond until helium gets there," Dombrowski said."He's handled everything arsenic creaseless arsenic tin be. No concern has been excessively large for him. He's kept that adjacent keeled quality going. You can't ever expect that calmness."

With Thomson, though, you could travel close. 'Even-keeled' is utilized to picture him truthful often that it mightiness arsenic good beryllium his archetypal name. It's thing he's learned implicit years successful the dugout, and it's travel successful useful arsenic the stakes person gone up passim the postseason.

"I deliberation earlier successful my career, I was not arsenic even-keeled arsenic I americium now," Thomson said. "You benignant of larn these moments and cognize that you can't power things and truthful wherefore interest astir definite things. I deliberation conscionable the acquisition of going done each these antithetic moments passim a 30-some-year vocation conscionable benignant of teaches you to beryllium even-keeled."

His players agree: Time successful the dugout matters, they say, adjacent if it's not arsenic the antheral successful charge.

And Thomson has been astatine it for decades, coaching successful the insignificant leagues for the Tigers and Yankees earlier becoming Girardi's seat manager successful New York successful 2008. Then to the Phillies for the aforesaid occupation nether Kapler successful 2018.

"With him comes a batch of experience, a batch of large games, a batch of managing superstar players, conscionable each measurement that he's been," Phillies 3rd baseman Alec Bohm said. "So I deliberation erstwhile helium took implicit helium was decidedly ready. To me, it didn't look similar determination was immoderate increasing pains oregon thing with that."

Current seat manager Mike Calitri added: "He is the astir prepared quality being I've ever been around...His quality to beryllium placid and calm exudes done the full team."

Calitri is the sounding committee for Thomson successful games. He's the dependable down the manager. He was besides portion of the thought process into being assertive with the bullpen successful Game 1.

"We felt immoderate momentum aft having scored," Calitri said. "If that momentum shifts back, it's astir apt not bully for us."

Thomson concurred, creating an aboriginal communicative that would acceptable the code for his Fall Classic performance: Worry astir contiguous and fto time instrumentality attraction of itself.

"In these seven-game series, wherever you person 2-3-2, you've got that time off, 2 days off, potentially, and truthful you tin usage guys a small spot more," Thomson said the time aft Game 1. "If we commencement the play adjacent year, I tin archer you I won't negociate similar this due to the fact that it's a marathon. This is simply a sprint present and we person to spell for it each day."

As it turns out, the strategy was further rewarded erstwhile rainfall postponed Game 3 giving Thomson's bullpen different time of rest.

Of course, not each high-risk determination is going to enactment out. In Game 4, Thomson pulled Nola with the bases loaded and nary outs successful the 5th inning, again for Jose Alvarado. This time, though, Alvarado deed the archetypal batter to springiness up the lead, and the Astros went connected to people 5 runs successful the inning, yet tying the series, 2-2.

But triumph oregon lose, Thomson is that same, calming beingness successful the locker country -- arsenic helium was aft that Game 4 loss, which saw the Phillies no-hit for lone the 2nd clip successful a World Series game.

"I walked successful the clubhouse ... and I conscionable fundamentally told them to flush this," Thomson said. "It's gone."

Then helium left, giving his seasoned nine the abstraction to sorb the moment, beauteous overmuch the aforesaid mode he's done it since June. That laid backmost benignant is portion and parcel to who helium is -- steady, calm and prepared.

And truthful far, his occurrence successful the occupation has proven the hold has been worthy it -- for him and the squad he's managing.

"We're each grateful for the accidental to play for him," Bryce Harper said. "We each privation to spell retired determination and play our champion crippled for him, and helium conscionable has each the religion successful the satellite successful our quality to spell retired there."