NL DIVISION SERIES: PHILLIES VS BRAVES

October 15, 2022

Rob Thomson

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame 4 Press Conference

Phillies - 8, Braves - 3

Q. This team was 22-29 when you walked in the door. Did you have a vision in which a day like this was in that vision?

ROB THOMSON: This is being honest, I think we all did coming out of spring training because we knew we had a good ballclub. We knew our bullpen was good, rotation was good, we had great offense.

We just got off to a little bit of a slow start and kind of spiraled. And May was a really tough month. It was a really tough schedule.

Then once we hit June, the schedule kind of lightened up a little bit and we started winning, and guys started getting confidence and believing that they could win and believing that, okay, now this is the team that we thought we were. And just kept going.

And we had ups and downs during the season, just like any other club does. But they knew that they were going to come out of it at some point and start winning again. And we did.

It's really good. It's a great club. I told them they're tough, they're resilient, they're really talented and really unselfish. Great group of guys to be around.

Q. Is there something about this team that the 162-game record doesn't reflect?

ROB THOMSON: I don't know. Probably just how resilient they are. I can't say it enough. We had some tough losses and they come back the next day and it doesn't snowball. They keep going, moving forward. They know that tomorrow is a new day, let's go. It's a really neat group that way.

Q. How do you like this new playoff format?

ROB THOMSON: I really like it right now.

Q. Gave you guys a chance to get in, which in the past you wouldn't have.

ROB THOMSON: No, I think it's good. And I know it helped us a little bit. But I think the more teams you have in, the more interest you have around the country and around the cities that are in MLB. So I think the more the better.

At some point it's going to get a little bit ridiculous, but I think this is a good number right here.

Q. I know for you, you probably like it just the way it is, but do you think this ought to be a seven-game series now in the NLDS?

ROB THOMSON: I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. Today? I like the five-game series.

Q. Obviously you mentioned, you guys believed in yourselves before anybody. But these two past games, with the city and kind of how long it's been baseball-wise and kind of how slow to start coming to the park and really start believing in you guys, how big was it to -- do you feel you captured the city this weekend?

ROB THOMSON: I think the city captured us, more than that. To see what, what is it, 46,000 people, can do, to motivate a club and just the passion they have for the ballclub. And it was incredible. So loud.

And from the first pitch of the game to the last pitch of the game, they never -- they were like the club. They were just relentless, and just kept going and going.

And it helps the players so much. It motivates them. It gives them confidence. It was a really special couple of days. Can't wait to get back.

Q. Probably a silly question, but do you have any preference in who you play, Dodgers or Padres?

ROB THOMSON: No, not really. That's being honest. They're both good clubs, and gotta go out and play your best baseball.

Q. Did either of them give you particular problems that you're going to have to solve?

ROB THOMSON: It was so long ago that we played them, I'd have to think about that. But they're both really talented and they're both playing very well.

Q. You've talked all postseason about trusting your players. It seems like that's kind of a guiding force of yours. You see Rhys make those two plays at first base, you see Seranthony come in and do what he did in the ninth inning, Jose with those outs. Is that just kind of a testament to having let those guys go out there and be them?

ROB THOMSON: I have to trust them because they're ours. And they're really talented guys. And I know, with all the years I've been in this thing, that guys have ebbs and flows during the course of the season.

And sometimes you have to reset them a little bit, whether it's take them out of a certain role or give them a day off or whatever it is.

But if you know they're talented, you better stick with them. Or you're going to mess everybody up.

Q. Just your thoughts on Syndergaard. He gave you a great three innings. Any thought about extending him out a little bit more? Did you have this all planned out this way?

ROB THOMSON: As we planned it, we thought if we can get through once through the lineup, maybe a little bit more, we would be good.

And he was fantastic. He gave up a solo home run, but we gave up three solo home runs today but we had no walks. And that was the key. We gave no free passes.

But I thought he was outstanding. A lot of soft contact, other than Arcia's home run, a lot of soft contact. He pounded the strike zone. I thought he was good and gave us what we needed.

Everybody else, we had, Caleb and the pitching coaches and I sat down in the last couple of days and really talked about how we're going to do this and different scenarios.

And everybody pitched well. I mean, you can have the greatest plan in the world, but if somebody doesn't pitch well then it goes out the window. Everybody pitched well and it went really well.

Q. Do you play Tuesday?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah.

Q. So you've got a little bit of time to reset the pitchers?

ROB THOMSON: Yes.