Philadelphia’s Rob Thomson Makes the Right Calls in World Series Game 1 Decision
The Cardinals were down 3-1 to the Indians in Game 1 of World Series 2016, and it was Rob Thomson’s decision to pull the trigger on a wild pitch by Carlos Santana that handed Cleveland a Game 1 victory.
But his game-calling also has gotten scrutiny in the aftermath of the World Series, which culminated with a heart-pounding Game 7 in Cleveland.
Thomson, now a major league manager, told reporters that he’s been getting death threats after Game 1 in Cleveland, but he’s also received a lot of love.
“I get about 3,000 phone calls a day,” he told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Ken Gurnick.
That’s more than two percent of Cardinals fans dialing him every day, even before they saw him on television.
And it could turn the tide in a close-fought series where the Cards have dominated the Indians ever since.
Rob Thomson, Major League Game 1
With the game 4 of World Series, he called for a bunt by the Yankees’ Bernie Williams! It had to be the biggest one of the series! After the call, he gave an interview to MLB.com’s Darren Wolfson asking, “Is this the biggest bunt in World Series history?” Thomson answered, “You’ll have to ask the Yankees, but this has to be up there.”
Rob Thomson, Game 4 of World Series
After the bunt and the decision to hit the ball over the left-center gap, he said, “I always like to be right when I’m wrong.”
It was a big play by Williams. As the ball sailed into the air, it hit the ball screen before crashing back on the infields, leaving fans baffled. But the play