Phillies hire Joe Girardi as manager, per report

The Phillies have hired Joe Girardi as their new manager, according to a report Thursday morning from MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki:

Girardi, 55, won NL Manager of the Year in his lone season (2006) with the Marlins. Though a disagreement with owner Jeffrey Loria led him to be fired from that job after one year, he eventually returned to the dugout in 2008 as Joe Torre’s replacement in New York and led the Yankees to 10 straight winning seasons, including a World Series victory in 2009. After being fired from that job following the outcry over his failure to challenge a controversial hit-by-pitch call in the 2017 ALDS — and, probably more importantly, his reported failure to relate to younger players — Girardi spent the past two seasons as an analyst for MLB Network and FS1.

Girardi, who played 15 years in the majors for the Cubs, Yankees, Rockies, and Cardinals from 1989-2003, will be relied upon to utilize his vast managerial experience when making in-game decisions. Kapler’s inability to develop that sort of touch manifested itself when he repeatedly brought in relievers before they were ready — or just without having warmed up at all — over two seasons on the job. With a team full of veterans that should be able to win now, he’ll also likely be relied upon to create more of a culture of accountability and prevent the intra-clubhouse controversies that often existed during Kapler’s tenure.