Phillies Hire Joe Girardi as New Manager

Henrik P. Maxian is a project management executive who has concurrently served as executive director at Pact Construction, Inc., and vice president at Sand Castle Winery since 2007. A sports fan, Henrik Maxian counts the Philadelphia Phillies as his favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team.

After missing the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year, the Phillies terminated the contract of manager Gabe Kapler, and, on October 24, hired Joe Girardi, who the Philadelphia Inquirer referred to as Kapler's "polar opposite." When Kapler was first hired in 2017, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak lauded his ability to connect with others. He was 42 years old at the time, and thought to be the right type of person to work with a younger team. Instead, the Phillies posted a combined record of 161-163 during the past two seasons with Kapler as manager. The team finished fourth in the five-team National League East division this past season.

In regard to being Kapler's "polar opposite," Girardi is known for being rough around the edges, and certainly less friendly than his predecessor. He's also more experienced. Kapler had never had a managerial job before being hired in 2017, whereas the 55-year-old Girardi won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 2009 and boasts an overall win-loss record of 988-794.