Phillies hire former Yankees coach Girardi as manager

Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies, trying to reverse their flagging Major League Baseball fortunes, hired former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi to replace sacked Gabe Kapler on Thursday.In tabbing Girardi, the Phillies are turning to the manager who was at the helm of the Yankees team that beat Philadelphia in six games in the 2009 World Series.Girardi managed the Yankees for 10 seasons, but the club let him go following the team’s narrow failure to advance to the 2017 World Series.He had played four seasons for the Yankees, winning three World Series titles as the team’s catcher.“They got a great one,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told the Philadelphia Inquirer of the Phillies’ acquisition of Girardi.The Phillies said they had made Girardi the 55th manager in club history on a three-year contract with a club option for 2023.Girardi had stepped down last week as manager of Team USA as they looked toward an Olympic return in Tokyo, an apparent indication he anticipated a return to MLB’s managerial ranks.Girardi also interviewed this month with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. He played almost half of his major league career with the Cubs, who eventually hired former catcher David Ross to fill their managerial vacancy.