"When we play better, we’ll hear our fans" - Phillies' manager Rob Thomson responds to Yankees fans dominating CBP during series opener

Part of what has made Rob Thomson's Philadelphia Phillies so successful this season has been their ability to win games at home. However, while the club is normally enthused by their home crowd, things went a little differently during their most recent fixture.

On Monday night, the visiting New York Yankees hammered Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. By the fifth inning, the Yankees had already scored seven runs. In the end, Thomson's Phillies fell by a score of 14-4.

After the game, Rob Thomson was asked whether or not the strong contingent of Yankees fans in attendance at Citizens Bank Park helped the opposition.

"#Phillies manager Rob Thomson was asked about the NYY fans kind of taking over CBP in the series opener vs the #Yankees. @KYWNewsRadio" - Dave Uram

According to Thomson, who has managed the Philadelphia Phillies since 2022, his club's poor performance was not a result of Yankees fans. Instead, the manager claimed that the Phillies had only themselves to blame for the muted crowds, and added that "when we play better, we’ll hear our fans."

A 60-year-old native of Sarnia, Ontario, Rob Thomson played in the Detroit Tigers organization before making the jump to coaching; after spending some time in various MLB coaching roles, he was hired by the Phillies as head manager in 2022 and would lead the team to a World Series appearance that same season.

""We're a really talented club that's going through a tough time right now." Rob Thomson shares what his message is to his club after a 14-4 loss to the Yankees." - NBC Sports Philadelphia

On account of their 65-41 record, the Phillies remain the top team in MLB. However, after their loss to the New York Yankees, the team fell for the seventh time in ten games.

Rob Thomson wants his guys back in postseason shape

The loss to the Yankees puts the Phillies in danger of losing their fifth straight series, which is something that would have been inconceivable for the club a month ago. In the wake of the harsh defeat on Tuesday, Thomson told Phillies Tailgate:

“Well we’ve got to straighten some things out for sure, and it seems like it’s the days we hit, we don’t pitch and when we pitch, we don’t hit. But we gotta play clean games on all three sides of the ball and get back to winning the series. And get back to winning the first game of the series, which is critical.”

As a manager who has been deep into October before, Thomson knows what separates a playoff club from a regular season fluke.