PHILADELPHIA _ Joe Girardi began his first formal remarks as the 55th manager in Phillies history by listing his many coincidental connections to the organization.
_ Growing up in Peoria, Ill., he watched former Phillies stars Larry Bowa and Gary Matthews play for the Cubs.
_ In 1986, soon after he began dating his wife, Kim, he took her to a Phillies-Cubs game at Wrigley Field. They sat in the bleachers and Kim caught a home-run ball hit by a Phillies player (Girardi couldn't remember which one).
_ His first big-league hit came against Phillies pitcher Floyd Youmans in 1989.
_ The first baserunner Girardi threw out from behind the plate was the Phillies' Bob Dernier.
"I started to look for signs for where I might end up because I really wanted to manage again," Girardi said Monday during a 32-minute news conference at a beer garden within Citizens Bank Park. "I got calls from people and it started triggering all these things that I thought about."
Add it all up, Girardi said, and he felt Philadelphia was the right fit for the next chapter of a managerial career that has spanned 11 seasons, including a decade with the New York Yankees.
Girardi, 55, was hired last Thursday from a three-candidate field and signed a three-year contract with a club option for 2023. General manager Matt Klentak sat alongside Girardi at the news conference. First baseman Rhys Hoskins stood in the back. So, too, did Bowa and other team employees. Notable absent: Managing partner John Middleton and team president Andy MacPhail.
Klentak openly disagreed with the firing of former manager Gabe Kapler. But once Middleton made that decision, Klentak set about trying to find a skipper with experience. He selected Girardi over Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker, all of whom received two interviews.
"When we talked to people who knew Joe throughout his career, every single one of them would begin that conversation talking about what a good person Joe is," Klentak said. "And they would end it with, 'Don't forget, he's an incredible person.' When you're betting on people and making a hire like this, it's a good move to bet on quality individuals."
Girardi's challenge: End the Phillies' eight-year postseason drought. The Phillies haven't had so much as a winning season since 2011. Girardi led the Yankees to 10 consecutive winning seasons, six playoff appearances and a World Series championship at the Phillies' expense (another Philadelphia connection) in 2009.
There will be other, more immediate work to do, including naming a hitting coach and pitching coach. Larry Rothschild, Girardi's longtime pitching coach in New York, was conveniently let go by the Yankees on Monday.
"I thought he did a great job with the seven or eight years we were together," said Girardi, who added that he already has interviewed a few potential pitching coaches. "I thought that the game has evolved a lot, Larry continued to evolve with how the game is evolved. And obviously Matt (Klentak) and I have a couple positions that we need to fill and we're going to talk about every name that is out there and get who we think the best person is for Philadelphia."
Girardi is expected to bring more structure to the organization after two years with Kapler, who had few rules in the clubhouse. Girardi said he doesn't have many explicit rules either, but he demands that players be accountable to themselves and do whatever it takes to win.
"I'm well aware of the passion for the great game of baseball here," Girardi said. "I've lived it as a player and as a manager. I know the importance of winning here. I had a chance to compete against a great team with Charlie Manuel here in 2009, and it was a great place to come watch a game. The passionate fans of the Phillies were great _ they were not easy to play against _ and I want it to be that way for many years to come."
