The Philadelphia Phillies’ crushing loss on Monday pushed the team to the brink of elimination, and had the team’s postgame show at each other’s throats over some of manager Rob Thomson’s decisions late in the game.
The Phillies fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 in Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Monday, dropping them into a 2-0 hole in the series. The most controversial sequence in the entire game came in the 9th inning, when Philadelphia’s comeback was cut short by a poor bunt from Bryson Stott that led to the tying run getting thrown out at third base.
The NBC Sports Philadelphia postgame show was livid. Michael Barkann felt Thomson should have sent in a pinch-runner for Nick Castellanos at second instead of relying on a bunt to move him to third. Analyst Ruben Amaro Jr. argued that Thomson had to hold back a bench player for Harrison Bader, who hit later in the inning despite a hamstring injury and was then run for after reaching base.
The Phillies postgame is so mad that they’re yelling at each other 😂 pic.twitter.com/I43OpfVq3b
— Rich MacLeod (@richmacleod) October 7, 2025
This is, of course, a group of TV personalities that have been following the Phillies all season. As is the case with fans, they want to see the team succeed, and an entire season potentially going down the drain because of a few key decisions is enough to get anybody riled up.
Thomson’s decision to bunt was an immediate source of controversy, and the voices only got louder when the move did not work and the Phillies wound up losing. Assuming they do not come back and win three in a row, that call might haunt Thomson all offseason. Phillies fans certainly won’t forget about it.
