When interviewing an MLB manager in the middle of game, you’re always opening yourself up to some risk that the game itself will create some friction. Such as what happened with Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson on Wednesday.
Speaking with ESPN in the second inning with Jesús Luzardo on the mound, Thomson was discussing preparations for Opening Day when a bases-loaded, two-out jam turned into an opposite-field grand slam off the bat of Jahmai Jones.
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Thomson’s lone comment: “Looked like a changeup.” He was correct. Those would also be his last words for the next couple minutes, as Andy Ibáñez and Gleyber Torres each followed up with first-pitch home runs to make it three straight dingers on three straight pitches from Luzardo.
In-game interviews rarely get more awkward than this, especially when ESPN’s broadcasters attempted to bring Thomson back into the conversation with a question about spring training right as Torres took his swing.
Those three homers were part of a 17-7 Tigers win. Luzardo finished with six runs and six hits allowed with a walk and two strikeouts in two innings on 40 pitches.
Spring training games don’t count and are notoriously bad gauges of what will happen when the games do count, but Luzardo struggling isn’t exactly what the Phillies want. Philadelphia acquired Luzardo from Miami in one of the offseason’s bigger trades, sending back prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd. Caba is currently the No. 2 prospect in the Marlins’ farm system, per MLB Pipeline.
With one of MLB’s best rotations, the Phillies don’t need Luzardo to be a star, but he was a high-risk, high-reward swing for the team’s front office. He looked like a future standout in 2022 and 2023, but injuries have limited both his ability to stay on the mound and his effectiveness on it. He posted a 5.00 ERA in 56 2/3 innings last season, missing most of the season with a lumbar stress reaction.
Thomson is entering his third season as the Phillies’ full-time manager, having led them to the 2022 World Series as an interim. He signed a contract extension with the team that will take him through the 2026 season.
