Phillies Hire Girardi; Cashman Says "They got a great one"

Joe Girardi.

BRONX, NY - On Thursday morning, the Philadelphia Phillies hired former Yankees Manager Joe Girardi to be their new skipper.


Girardi was at the helm of the Yankees for ten seasons (2008-17) and led them to their last World Championship in 2009. He won 910 games in the regular season (an average of 91 per season) and led the Bronx Bombers to six playoff appearances, including taking them within one win of the World Series two years ago before being dismissed. 

"They got a great one; Joe was here for ten years for a reason," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said of Girardi on Thursday during his season-ending press conference. "He obviously did an interview process to replace a Hall of Fame manager in Joe  Torre, and so that led me to an amazing candidate in Joe Girardi, and that was obviously a difficult process to go through. Obviously, I had some huge names in the mix, Don Mattingly, Tony Pena, who had been an American League Manager of the Year with the Kansas City Royals, but ultimately, Joe Girardi prevailed in that interview process, and ultimately, had a massively successful run here, with ultimately a world championship in 2009.

"Anybody who's ever asked me, which they have, trust me, every team that's gone through this interview asked me about Joe Girardi, and to me, if you're in the marketplace and he's available, you can find no better candidate. He's going to represent their franchise well, he is going to be all-in, as you all know. Anyone who's ever covered him sees the fire and passion in that dugout, and he's been a winner.

"One of the things that gravitated me to Joe back then (in the fall of 2007) was I had a great relationship with him as a player. You know, I was the General Manager here when he was a player, he was a coach for me, and he ultimately managed for me; he was a broadcaster for YES, that doesn't have anything to do with me. 

"He's been a winner his entire career, and so I would expect nothing but the same that's going to continue there in Philadelphia. I wish them luck, they made a great selection, and rather it be not in the American League East; I guess that's the biggest complement I can give."