Spurned by Alex Cora, Phillies turn to Don Mattingly in the interim after Rob Thomson is fired

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Cora had barely been out of a job after the World Series champion manager was fired by the Red Sox when his old boss offered him a professional lifeline.

Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, wanted to know if Rob Thomson was fired, would Cora be interested in taking over a team with a $284.7 million payroll and World Series expectations that had slogged through April as one of the worst teams in baseball.

Cora ultimately declined, citing family reasons, and a potential reunion with Dombrowski eight seasons after they won the World Series together in Boston was on hold.

Rebuffed by Cora, the Phillies looked down the bench to Don Mattingly.

Only four months after he was hired as Philadelphia's bench coach, Mattingly was named interim manager to replace Thomson, who was fired Tuesday after the Phillies lost 11 of 12 games and began the day tied for last place in the majors.

“Alex wasn’t going to take the job at that point; should we still make the change? We came to the final conclusion that we were going to make the change, and that it was the best for the club,” Dombrowski said.

Thomson led the Phillies to four straight playoff appearances, including the 2022 World Series, and consecutive NL East titles, but couldn't lead high-priced talent that included Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner back to the top of the standings through the first month of the season.

“I still think, and I hope because I love these guys, that this team is going to turn this thing around,” Thomson said hours after he was fired. “They're going to get hot. There's a bunch of different reasons why, but one is the fact there's a lot of talent in there.”

Dombrowski, who has led baseball operations for Montreal, Miami, Detroit and Boston, winning World Series titles with the Marlins in 1997 and Red Sox in 2018, made it clear Tuesday that Cora was his first choice to succeed Thomson.

“We never got down to the nuts and bolts of things,” Dombrowski said. “He called me Saturday night as a friend. I guess he calls me one of his mentors and we talked because he never had been through that before. We talked Sunday morning.

“I came to conclusion that if he took it, I would make a change. I thought he would take it. Until Monday morning it was apparent from his perspective he wanted to take time with his family. He wanted to be a father first and foremost and so that’s what he had decided.”

Mattingly, the former New York Yankees great, was named interim manager through the end of the season and third base coach Dusty Wathan was promoted to bench coach. Mattingly will now work for one of his sons — Preston Mattingly is the Phillies general manager — in what is believed to be the first father-son GM/manager combination in baseball history.

Mattingly said there was no awkwardness about essentially working for his son because they both had the same vision for the franchise.

“We both want to win games,” Mattingly said. “We’re like every player. We’re here to win.”

Thomson is the second manager fired in baseball this season after the Red Sox fired Cora and five coaches on Saturday.

Dombrowski gave Thomson a vote of confidence last week during their losing streak. Dombrowski stood behind Thomson’s work and said he’d been a good manager since replacing Joe Girardi in 2022.

Thomson went 355-270 and orchestrated a baseball resurgence in Philadelphia. The 62-year-old, a baseball lifer finally promoted to his first managerial stint in 2022, signed a contract extension in the offseason running through the 2027 season and was again expected to lead the Phillies into World Series contention.

Thomson made the rare move for a fired manager to address the media one final time and said he was so grateful for his time with the Phillies, he would like to stay connected to the organization in the future.

“I don't want to go anywhere else,” Thomson said. “Maybe right now isn't the right time. But yeah, I'm all in on that.”

The Phillies instead have been one of the biggest flops in baseball and lost 10 straight games before ace Zack Wheeler led them to a win against Atlanta on Saturday. The Phillies lost to Atlanta on Sunday and fell to 9-19 overall, tied with the division rival New York Mets.

Thomson led Philadelphia to the 2022 World Series after taking over for Girardi, losing to the Houston Astros in six games. Since then, the club has regressed in the postseason. It lost in the NL Championship Series in 2023 in seven games, and the NL Division Series in 2024 and ’25 in four games.

Nicknamed Topper, Thomson has been with the club since the 2018 season, when he was hired as bench coach under former manager Gabe Kapler.

He was with the New York Yankees from 1990-2017, including 10 seasons on the major league coaching staff as bench coach (2008, 2015-17) and third base coach (2009-14). He earned his nickname in the Yankees organization for always being on top of details.

Thomson became only the fourth manager in big league history to reach the postseason in each of the first four full seasons to begin a managing career, joining Dave Roberts, Aaron Boone and Mike Matheny. He became only the third manager in Phillies history to win consecutive division titles, joining Charlie Manuel and Danny Ozark.

“I've played for a lot of guys over my 15-year career, and Topper is definitely one of the guys at the top,” Harper said.

The Phillies have been awful in what was supposed to be a celebratory season with the franchise set to host the All-Star Game and surrounding festivities. Instead, they have collapsed in every aspect of the game, with regulars Alec Bohm and Schwarber both hitting under .200, while starters Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter all have 5.00-plus ERAs.

The Phillies recently released high-priced bust Taijuan Walker in the final year of a four-year, $72 million contract and outfielder Nick Castellanos was released in February as he entered the final year of a five-year, $100 million deal.

The Phillies haven’t won the World Series since 2008 and had last made the playoffs in 2011 until Thomson led them to the surprise run to the 2022 World Series dubbed Red October that rejuvenated the fanbase and made 90-plus win seasons the norm.

The Phillies now will turn to Mattingly, who kept the coaching staff intact, to resuscitate their season and try to at least keep them in the hunt for an NL wild-card spot.

Mattingly, spending his 23rd straight season as a major league manager or coach, had his mind set on retirement after he left his role as Toronto’s bench coach under manager John Schneider following the World Series.

He reversed course after a talk with his family and latched on with the Phillies, enticed by the chance to work with his son and Thomson, his friend from their Yankees days.

Mattingly managed the Dodgers from 2011-15 and the Marlins from 2016-22. He was the 2020 NL Manager of the Year after he led the Marlins to their first playoff appearance since 2003.

He said when the Phillies hired him in the winter that he no longer had interest in managing again. Mattingly said ahead of Tuesday's game against the Giants those comments were largely out of deference to Thomson's presence and that he indeed had the spark and desire to help bring the Phillies back into the playoff race.

“I’ve always felt good. I’ve been pretty healthy,” Mattingly said. “I feel like I have energy. But I did want to say that from the standpoint that Thom’s here. I didn’t want anyone feeling like I was here to do something like this. So, I really wanted to leave it like that.”

Mattingly played 14 seasons as a first baseman in the major leagues, all for the Yankees, from 1982-95. He was a six-time AL All-Star and the 1985 AL Most Valuable Player. Mattingly captained the Yankees in his final five seasons.

Much like Thomson did in 2022, Mattingly believes he can return the Phillies to greatness as an interim manager.

“We’re talented enough,” he said. “We know that. We believe that."

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Boston Red Sox' manager Alex Cora walks back to the dugout after a mound visit during a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Monday, April 20, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Jim Davis)

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson in the dugout before playing the Atlanta Braves in a baseball game, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson signals to change pitchers against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson looks to the field before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

FILE - Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly (8) watches from the dugout steps during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, April 5, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (49) stands in the dugout before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted again Tuesday, this time over a social media photo of seashells arranged on a beach that officials said constituted a threat against President Donald Trump.

The criminal case is the second in months against Comey and is part of the Trump administration Justice Department's relentless effort to prosecute political opponents of the Republican president. The seashells photo was posted nearly a year ago, but the indictment was secured at a time when acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a Trump loyalist who previously served as his personal lawyer, aims to prove to the president that he is the right person to hold the job permanently.

The fact that the Justice Department pursued a new case months after a separate and unrelated indictment was dismissed could expose the government to claims of a vindictive prosecution and to arguments that it is going out of its way to target Comey, who as FBI director had overseen the early months of an investigation into whether Trump's 2016 campaign had coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of that year’s election.

Comey was fired by Trump months into the president’s first term as that investigation was underway, and they have openly feuded ever since.

The prosecution arises from a May post on Instagram in which Comey shared a photo of seashells he saw on a walk in the arrangement of “86 47.” He has said he assumed that the numbers reflected a political message, not a call to violence. Comey deleted the post shortly after it was made, writing: “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence” and “I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

Nonetheless, Comey was swiftly interviewed by the Secret Service after Trump administration officials asserted that he was advocating the assassination of Trump, the 47th president.

The case was filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the state where Comey found the seashells.

“Well, they’re back – this time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago, and this won’t be the end of it,” Comey said in a video statement Tuesday. “But nothing has changed with me. I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So let’s go.”

The two-count indictment charges Comey with “knowingly and willfully” making a threat to “take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon" Trump and with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. It does not provide evidence that Comey knowingly threatened Trump, especially since Comey has said the opposite, but suggested a “reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret” the message as a threat.

At a news conference Tuesday, Blanche refused to elaborate on any evidence of intent the government has but said: “How do you prove intent in any case? You prove intent with witnesses, with documents, with the defendant himself to the extent it's appropriate. And that's how we'll prove intent in this case.”

And in an effort to rebut claims that Comey was being selectively prosecuted, Blanche contended the case against the former FBI director was similar to other threats cases the department routinely brings against the lesser known.

“While this case is unique and this indictment stands out because of the name of the defendant, his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we will never tolerate and that we will always investigate and regularly prosecute,” Blanche said.

Comey's legal team said in a statement that they “will contest these charges in the courtroom and look forward to vindicating Mr. Comey and the First Amendment.” They said he “vigorously denies” the charges.

Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” It notes: “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill.’ We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”

Trump, in a Fox News Channel interview in May, accused Comey of knowing “exactly what that meant."

“A child knows what that meant,” Trump said. "If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.”

The former FBI director was indicted in September on charges he lied to Congress in 2020 about whether he had authorized information about an investigation to be provided to a journalist. He denied any wrongdoing. The case was dismissed after a judge concluded the prosecutor who brought the indictment was illegally appointed.

Comey was the FBI director when Trump took office in 2017, having been appointed by then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and serving before that as a senior Justice Department official in President George W. Bush’s Republican administration.

But the relationship was strained from the start, including after Comey resisted a request by Trump at a private dinner to pledge his personal loyalty to the president -- an overture that so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a contemporaneous memorandum.

Trump fired Comey in May 2017 amid an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s campaign. That inquiry, later taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, found that while Russia interfered in the 2016 election and the Trump team welcomed the help, there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal collaboration.

Blanche was elevated earlier this month from deputy attorney general to acting attorney general, replacing Pam Bondi, who had frustrated Trump with the department's struggles to build successful criminal cases against his adversaries.

Blanche since then has moved quickly to accelerate politically charged prosecutions, including a case last week against the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center, which is accused by the Justice Department of misleading donors by using their money to pay informants who served as leaders in the hate groups the organization was founded to fight. The group has denied any wrongdoing.

Comey is among many Trump foes to face scrutiny over the last year.

The Justice Department, for instance, is also pursuing a criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, another key figure in the Russia investigation -- one of Trump’s chief grievances and a saga he and his supporters have long sought retaliation for. Brennan has denied doing anything wrong.

CNN was the first to report the second indictment against Comey.

Follow the AP's coverage of former FBI Director James Comey at https://apnews.com/hub/james-comey.

FBI Director Kash Patel, left, and Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of N.C., right, look on as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announces that former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted, at the Justice Department in Washington, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

FBI Director Kash Patel, left, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, center, and Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of of N.C., announce that former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted, at the Justice Department in Washington, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

FILE - Former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation James Comey at Harvard University's Institute of Politics' JFK Jr. Forum in Cambridge, Mass., Feb. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

FILE - Former FBI Director James Comey speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)