Among the few certainties surrounding the Phillies these days, there is one that stands out above the others: This is the kind of season that gets managers fired.
Baseball isn’t always fair, and it isn’t always kind. Line drives that are caught and bloops that fall in don’t always even out, and a walk is absolutely not as good as a hit. But baseball is consistent in some regards. The manager taking the fall for a team that can’t get out of its own way is as time-honored a tradition as spitting in your glove.
Pete Mackanin has been in this game professionally since 1969.