PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Cora had barely been out of a job after the World Series champion manager was fired by the Red Sox when his old boss offered him a professional lifeline.
Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, wanted to know if Rob Thomson was fired, would Cora be interested in taking over a team with a $284.7 million payroll and World Series expectations that had slogged through April as one of the worst teams in baseball.
Cora ultimately declined, citing family reasons, and a potential reunion with Dombrowski eight seasons after they won the World Series together in Boston was on hold.
Rebuffed by Cora, the Phillies looked down the bench to Don Mattingly.
Only four months after he was hired as Philadelphia’s bench coach, Mattingly was named interim manager to replace Thomson, who was fired Tuesday after the Phillies lost 11 of 12 games and began the day tied for last place in the majors.
