Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper will miss “Topper.”
The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday. Harper said that he learned of the news alongside media members. He expressed his respect for “Topper,” who coached him for eight seasons in Philadelphia.
Bryce Harper speaks on Rob Thomson firing
“I talked to Topper this morning, just told him I appreciate him,” Harper said (h/t Jason Dumas of WPVI-TV in Philadelphia). “Obviously, he wasn’t supposed to be around that long. Everybody knows that he kinda took the job and was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to do this for a long time.’ Then we started winning. Obviously, he’s done great things for us. We all had a lot of fun in here, a lot of great memories. Talked to him this morning, told him I appreciated him, and if he ever needed anything, just to reach out.”
Thomson, who had been with the organization since 2018, assumed managerial duties during the 2022 season after the Phillies fired Joe Girardi. The team promoted him to full-time manager after going 65-46 in 111 regular-season games and leading the Phillies to the World Series. Philadelphia lost the Fall Classic to the Houston Astros in six games.