PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies hired former Yankees manager Joe Girardi to replace Gabe Kapler on Thursday. Girardi will be introduced at a news conference Monday.
“I’m excited for this next chapter of my career,” Girardi said in a statement. “The Phillies have a strong commitment to winning from the owners to the front office to the players to the fans. It’s something that I’ve seen up close for the last 30 years of my baseball career. I played against the great Phillies players of the early ’90s from Dutch Daulton to John Kruk to Dave Hollins, and I managed against their teams during the incredible run they had from 2008 to 2011. To have my name now associated with this great franchise is something that I couldn’t be happier about.”
Kapler was fired after an injury-depleted team went 81-81 despite significant offseason additions highlighted by Bryce Harper’s arrival. He was 161-163 in his two seasons. The Phillies also interviewed Dusty Baker and Buck Showalter. Girardi was the favorite among vocal fans, who didn’t accept Kapler mainly because of his California-cool personality.
Girardi was one of the most prominent candidates to fill vacant managerial spots across baseball. He also interviewed with the Cubs and New York Mets.
“Joe brings high character and a tremendous work ethic to his position, and he is a proven winner,” Phillies GM Matt Klentak said. “I look forward to working with him and I believe that he is the right manager to lead our team to the next level.”
Girardi succeeded Joe Torre after the 2007 season and spent a decade in pinstripes. He led New York to its 27th World Series title, beating the Phillies in six games in 2009. He also managed the Marlins one season and was NL Manager of the Year after going 78-84 in 2006, the only manager in the history of the award to win it with a losing record.
Girardi’s record with the Yankees was 910-710, the sixth most wins in team history. Girardi won at least 84 games each season in New York and had four years with 95 or more, including 103 in 2009. He led the Yankees to three AL East titles and six postseason appearances.
The 55-year-old Girardi hit .267 as a catcher for 15 seasons in the majors. He won three championships with the Yankees in the 1990s and was an All-Star for the Cubs in 2000.
The Phillies haven’t had a winning season since 2011 when they finished a run of five straight NL East titles, two pennants and one World Series championship under Charlie Manuel.
Phillies CEO John Middleton fired Kapler, overruling Klentak and team president Andy MacPhail. Both men face a critical offseason trying to address the team’s needs. The Phillies sorely lack pitching, especially starters.
“Matt did a great job running the search, culminating with the three exceptional candidates we interviewed,” Middleton said. “Ultimately, we all agree that Joe is the right person to lead our team, and I am excited to welcome him to the Phillies.”
Girardi is the 55th manager in franchise history. He’ll wear No. 25.
YANKEES: Center fielder Aaron Hicks will have Tommy John surgery for a partially torn ligament in his throwing elbow and is expected to be out 8 to 10 months.
General Manager Brian Cashman announced Hicks would have the operation Oct. 30.
Cashman also announced that right-hander Masahiro Tanaka had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow to remove bone spurs Wednesday, and Luke Voit had surgery for bilateral core muscle injuries Thursday. Both players are expected to be ready for spring training.
Hicks injured his right elbow Aug. 3. He initially rested and rehabbed with hopes of returning late in the season, but eventually he was sent home to Phoenix with instructions to rest until doctors could evaluate him in the offseason. While playing around in the backyard, Hicks experimented tossing a ball, found the pain had subsided and pushed New York to let him return in the postseason.
He rejoined the team in the AL Championship Series against Houston and hit a home run in Game 5. After New York lost to the Astros in six games, the Yankees and Hicks agreed he should have the surgery this offseason rather than continue pushing the partially torn UCL.
With Hicks set to miss much of the 2020 season, New York has more motivation to bring back veteran Brett Gardner. The 36-year-old Gardner hit a career-high 28 home runs and played solid defense in center with Hicks sidelined.
A career-long Yankee, Gardner is a potential free agent for the second consecutive offseason. He returned to New York last year on a $7.5 million, one-year contract.
Cashman wouldn’t commit to re-signing Gardner but praised his recent performance.
PADRES: The San Diego Padres are turning to another rookie manager as they try to bridge the difficult gap between rebuilding and contending.
The Padres hired Jayce Tingler from the Texas Rangers to take over a team that has missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons and hasn’t had a winning record in nine years, a person familiar with the situation said.
Another person familiar with the process said the team is still finalizing a contract with Tingler, 38. An introductory news conference won’t be held until next week, after the World Series ends.
Tingler has most recently been on the Rangers’ coaching staff as major league player development field coordinator, working with outfielders and baserunners. His only previous managerial experience has been at the lowest rungs, including guiding Leones del Escogido to a 9-1 start in the Dominican Winter League.
He replaces Andy Green, who was blamed for the Padres’ second-half collapse when he was fired with eight games left in the season. Green had no previous big league managing experience when he was hired before the 2016 season.
Tingler beat out Ron Washington, the former Rangers manager who is now third-base coach with the Atlanta Braves.
PRESIDENT DONALD Trump says he is planning to attend the World Series on Sunday if it goes to a fifth game.
The president confirmed his plans Thursday while presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Roger Penske, a businessman and founder of one of the world’s most successful motorsports teams.
The Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros are playing, with the fifth game scheduled for Sunday in Washington. The Nationals lead the series 2-0 and could conceivably win it before Sunday’s game.
Trump played high school baseball at the New York Military Academy and has thrown out the ceremonial first pitch at major league games. Asked if he would do so again, he joked that he would have to dress up with a lot of heavy armor and would look too heavy.
The president is a New York Yankees fan who would often attend their games and sit in the owners’ suite. He welcomed the Astros to the White House last year after they won the 2017 World Series and said their victory was even more special following the devastation Hurricane Harvey wrought on the Texas city.
Trump would be the first sitting president to attend a World Series game since George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch at New York’s Yankee Stadium before Game 3 in 2001. As the former controlling owner of the Texas Rangers, Bush knew several of the players involved.
Other presidents who attended World Series game were Woodrow Wilson (1915), Calvin Coolidge (1924), Herbert Hoover (1929, 1930, 1931), Franklin Roosevelt (1933, 1936), Dwight Eisenhower (1956), Jimmy Carter (1979) and Ronald Reagan (1983).
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