Explore More

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he liked the automatic runner in extra innings during the regular season and is pleased it will continue — but only in the regular season.

There is no automatic runner in the postseason.

“During the playoffs, I don’t [like it],” the former Yankees bench coach said. “I think you play baseball.”

But during the grueling regular season, with players now only allowed to be optioned to the minor leagues five times per year and pitchers forced to stay in the minors for 15 days, the rule makes sense, since it helps prevent games that stretch on for 17 or 18 innings.

“When you get into one of those 17-, 18-inning games, you’re going through pretty much everybody out of your bullpen, and then you’ve got to start making player moves,” Thomson said. “And when guys have to be down 15 days and you just sent down three or four of your pitchers, you can’t bring them back, then guys are coming off the roster to fill in, and that’s just not, you don’t want that.”

Among the reasons most didn’t consider the Phillies a serious World Series contender earlier in the season was their shaky defense, which has improved of late.

But Thomson declined to take any credit for the change after he took over for the fired Joe Girardi.

“I think [defense] was a point of emphasis even from the start of spring training, and it’s kind of evolved and gotten better as time has gone on,” Thomson said.

The self-effacing Thomson put the spotlight on outfield coach Paco Figueroa.

“He’s a much better outfield coach than I was, I can tell you that,’’ Thomson said. “And those guys work for them and they are out there every day shagging and getting reads off the bat and throwing to bases and things like that. … Our defense got better in the second half, but I don’t think it was because I came in and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to make the defense better.’ We said that from the start of spring training. It’s been an evolution throughout the course of the year.”

Another former Met, Justin Turner, won the Roberto Clemente Award for his charitable work in the Los Angeles area with the Dodgers. The award annually goes to the player “who best represents … baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3N7kGlmbGlfpbWquMuinKxloqSvbsDHqKSsp55iuaq3xGakpZpdoLKmvMinnmaZpam8rq3ToppmqqWju6a%2BjKKlZqqVnMKtrdFmqp6Zo6S7cA%3D%3D