Charlie Manuel becomes longest-tenured Phillies manager

PHOENIX — This is the 131st season the Phillies have existed. They began in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers and two men, Bob Ferguson and Blondie Purcell, served as player-managers.

On Thursday, Charlie Manuel managed his 1,332d game with the Phillies, making him the franchise's longest-tenured manager.

"That means my players have been good for a long time," Manuel said. "That's what it means."

The 69-year-old Manuel is already the franchise's winningest manager. He passed Gene Mauch, who managed 1,331 games from 1960-68, for his next milestone.

"I always say, when somebody asks me about accolades, I can never say I accept all of them because there are a lot of people involved in it," Manuel said. "It's a team thing. I was a part of it. How big a part? I don't know."

Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.