MLB WORLD SERIES: PHILLIES VS ASTROS

October 31, 2022

Rob Thomson

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Pregame 3 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with questions for Rob.

Q. What weather reports have you gotten about tonight?

ROB THOMSON: Nothing yet. There's going to be another meeting. I'm not sure what time, but Dave's going to come down and get me when we go. What I look at on the radar it looks like it's going to rain.

Q. If there wasn't a game tonight, would Noah start tomorrow or would Ranger start?

ROB THOMSON: We haven't really looked at it. I mean, we've come up with a couple different scenarios, but we haven't decided on anything yet.

Q. How would you describe the atmosphere and the energy inside this park when you guys get going during this postseason run and what kind of lift does that give you guys?

ROB THOMSON: It's something that truthfully I've never experienced. I mean, it's so loud. It goes from the first pitch to the last pitch. There's so much energy that it just energizes our players and motivates 'em, and I think it's just a huge advantage for us.

Q. I ask this only because maybe it could happen again tonight, but Seranthony was pitching during that rain in the NLCS. Did you guys ever figure out something maybe that could help him do better in that scenario? I don't even know how you would do that.

ROB THOMSON: Yeah. I don't know how you would either because you just couldn't keep the balls dry. It was just raining so hard. And I don't think MLB or anybody, Astros or us, we want to get into that scenario again. So I think they're going to be pretty careful with that.

Q. Because there's more talk of possibly keeping the runner on second rule for extra innings going forward next year, what's your opinion? Do you like it or not?

ROB THOMSON: During the regular season, I like it. During the playoffs, I don't. I think you play baseball.

But with the way the rules are now where if you have to option a player down, they're down -- or a pitcher down, they're down for 15 days. So that runner at second base you're not going to get in a 17-, 18-inning game. I mean, the chances are slim. So that helps you with roster juggling and things like that.

Q. Is that just because the way the game has evolved of using, four, five, six relievers every night?

ROB THOMSON: I guess it has partly to do with it, yeah. You're really stringent on pitch counts for your starters and typically they're lower now than they were even 10 years ago.

So when you get into one of those 17-, 18-inning games, you're going through pretty much everybody out of your bullpen, and then you got to start making player moves. And when guys have to be down 15 days and you just sent down three or four of your pitchers, you can't bring 'em back, then, you know, guys are coming off the roster to fill in, and that's just not, you don't want that.

Q. There was some talk by Sunday morning, maybe it was Saturday night, about the perfect umpire game. I'm wondering if you noticed during the game, not that it was perfect, but that the job being done was exceptional or if that sort of doesn't fly on your radar?

ROB THOMSON: The way I look at it -- or the way I figure out whether a guy's doing a good job or not is whether the players are yelling at him, and nobody was, really said a word all night long, so he did a great job.

Q. (No microphone.)

ROB THOMSON: Yes. Yeah.

Q. You have a long relationship with Kevin Long. I was just wondering what's it meant having him here, this is the fourth different team he's been to the World Series with, and just what he's brought here.

ROB THOMSON: Kevin is one of my best friends. He's a guy that I really rely on, I really trust. He is the best hitting coach I've been around, not just mechanically and game planning, but also the fact that when a player leaves the cage to go into the game, he thinks he can really hit, and that's who Kevin is. He's a great -- he's great at making players feel good about themselves. His energy and his positive outlook just reverberates throughout the entire team.

Q. If the weather forces a change today that might change when Noah goes, what have you seen from him in terms of just his flexibility and how he's accepted kind of a different non-star role here?

ROB THOMSON: Well, as far as his pitching flexibility it's huge for us because he can give you three or four innings right now because he's not really stretched out, but he can start, he looks very comfortable coming in in the middle of the game. It looks like the same guy. He throws strikes. He's going to challenge guys. He's not going to walk people. He's just been a huge guy for us ever since we got him. He's really given us good starts and he's been really good out of the pen.

Q. Bryce said recently that he's really appreciative of how the team and the city has accepted him for who he is. Over the past few years, how have you seen him kind of come into his own and mature?

ROB THOMSON: Well, I think everybody matures a little bit as they get older and get more experience. I think he puts a lot of pressure on himself because he wants to do well for not only his teammates, but for the city and for the organization, and sometimes he puts a little bit too much pressure on himself, I think.

But from the time we got him until now he's really become a really good teammate. It looks like he feels very comfortable in this clubhouse. Guys are comfortable with him. He walks around with a lot of confidence, and that spreads throughout his teammates as well. I think he's matured in a lot of different ways, to tell you the truth.

Q. You've had a couple guys, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm, guys not known for their defense make some really nice defensive place this postseason. You spent a lot of time coaching outfield defense with the Yankees. Bobby Dickerson's known as a great infield coach. How much was shoring up the defense a point of emphasis for you once you took over the job?

ROB THOMSON: Well, I think it was a point of emphasis even from the start of spring training, and it's kind of evolved and gotten better as time has gone on. And you really have to give Paco Figueroa a lot of credit there too because he's a tremendous -- he's a much better outfielder, outfield coach, than I was. I can tell you that. And those guys work for them and they are out there every day shagging and getting reads off the bat and throwing to bases and things like that. Yeah.

So, I mean, our defense got better in the second half, but I don't think it was because I came in and said, Hey, we got to make defense better. We said that from the start of spring training.

So it's been an evolution throughout the course of the year.

Q. Just following that up, with all the metrics that are available now, how much is it attributed to that you can put a guy like Castellanos or Schwarber into the best position you possibly can for them to make good plays on their limited ability?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, it's huge. And I think that's another part of the evolution of our defense is that our R & D, research and development people, the people that put all the spray charts together and the suggestions together. Where they should stand. It's evolved. It's gotten better over the course of the year. Just through trial and error.

And you combine that with the work that Bobby's done and the work that Paco's done and now we're, I feel really comfortable about our defense.