Gabe Kapler has second-most wins among Phillies managers after first 100 games

Of course it would be Trevor Plouffe who would hit the game-winning homer Tuesday off a Dodgers second baseman in the 16th inning. Nothing about Gabe Kapler's early tenure has been predictable, so why should game No. 100 be different?

Four months ago, Kapler was fumbling pitching changes and being booed at the home opener. Today, he has the second-most wins among Phillies managers after 100 games. The Phillies are 56-44 and a game ahead of the Braves in the NL East.

Dallas Green was 57-43 in a colorful reign that started in 1979 when he replaced Danny Ozark. Green kicked a roster littered with stars in the pants and won the club's first World Series the following season.

Not saying 2018 will end for Kapler the same way 1980 ended for Green, but the guy deserves some credit — especially after that gruesome start.

Here's a look at the Phillies' recent skippers and how they fared in their first 100 games.

Record through 100 games (2018): 56-44

Previous job: Director of player development, L.A. Dodgers

Darkest time: Kapler had one season of managerial experience, in 2007 at Class A Greenville of the South Atlantic League, and went 58-81. His inexperience showed this year in the very first series in Atlanta when he made a number of mistakes with the pitching staff, the most egregious coming when he summoned in to pitch Hoby Milner, who had not even warmed up. Crew chief Jerry Layne held up the game, despite the Braves' justified protests, and MLB issued a warning to the Phillies. Kapler took the blame for a "miscommunication" and came clean after an off-day of introspection. He handled the criticism pretty well.

>>FROM THE ARCHIVES: Kapler reflects on what went wrong in Atlanta

Notable: Kapler heard it from the fans during the home opener, but the Phillies beat Miami by 5-0 in that game and 20-1 the following game. … They were in first place at the All-Star break for the first time since 2011, the last season they made it to the playoffs. … Odubel Herrera already has set a career high in home runs (18) and tied it in RBIs (56). … Despite having no dominant closer, the Phillies are 20-9 in one-run games, tops in the majors. Nine pitchers have recorded at least one save.

>>FROM THE ARCHIVES: That time Gabe Kapler went nuts on his team during batting practice

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PETE MACKANIN

Record through 100 games (2015-16): 42-58.

Previous job: Mackanin was the team's third-base coach before Ryne Sandberg abruptly resigned as the Phillies (26-48) were the worst team in baseball. The Phils played better under Mackanin and won 12 of 14 right after the All-Star break.

Darkest time: The stretch from games No. 71-79 when the Phillies lost eight of nine with six of those losses by one run. Coincidentally, the Phillies removed the interim tag at the end of the string and announced Mackanin would be back for 2016. "My vote is bring him back, see what he can do for a full season," closer Ken Giles said. "You never know." That's for sure. Giles was traded to Houston that December in the deal for Vince Velasquez.

Notable: Mackanin's first game was June 26, 2015 against the Nationals. Max Scherzer pitched for Washington and had a perfect game going into the sixth. Aaron Harang went for the Phils, who lost, 5-2.

>>FROM THE ARCHIVES: Phillies always knew Mackanin would get whacked

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Record through 100 games (2013-14): 44-56

Previous job: Third-base coach, Phillies

Darkest time: Sandberg was put in a tough spot for his first major-league managerial job when the Phillies fired popular manager Charlie Manuel in the middle of August in 2013. Manuel, who did not have a contract beyond 2013, no longer ruled the clubhouse. It was another sign the glory days were over.

Notable: Four of Sandberg's first five wins were walk-offs, including three in a row from Aug. 21-23. … Roy Halladay was a shell of himself and retired after the 2013 season.

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Record through 100 games (2005): 52-48

Previous job: Special assistant to general manager, Phillies

Darkest time: Jim Thome, who had hit 89 homers for the Phillies the previous two seasons, was hurt for most of the 2005 season and managed only seven bombs and a .207 batting average. Fortunately, youngster Ryan Howard was waiting to take over. Howard hit 22 homers in 88 games and became just the fourth Phillies player to win Rookie of the Year.

Manuel managed Thome in Cleveland and was a mentor to the eventual Hall of Fame slugger.

"It is probably painful for Jim Thome to play baseball right about now, although you'd have to be able to read his mind to be sure," Inquirer columnist Phil Sheridan wrote. "Thome lives by the pro's code that says you don't make excuses when things aren't going well.

"What is for sure is that it's painful to watch Thome play. Without knowing for sure whether it's his back or his age or his mentality — most likely it's a combination of all three — it is difficult to watch him."

Notable: The Phillies went 12-1 from May 31-June 12, most victories they've ever had in a modern-day homestand. But they followed it with a 7-16 stretch that put them back around .500. … Manuel (780-636) led the club to the 2008 World Series title and is the winningest manager in Phillies history.

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Record through 100 games (2001): 55-45

Previous job: Third-base coach, Seattle

Darkest time: The Phillies had an eight-game lead in the NL East when a 2-9 stretch was punctuated by a blowup between struggling slugger Scott Rolen and the fiery Bowa, who told Daily News columnist Bill Conlin, "He's killing us." Fans turned on Rolen with every strikeout, and he was traded to St. Louis the following season. Rolen was a six-time All-Star for the Cardinals and helped them win the 2006 title by hitting .421 in the World Series.

Notable: The Daily News had a little fun with the notoriously hot-headed Bowa by running a contest asking readers to pick the date of his first ejection. He was less than thrilled with it, of course. "It sounds like a lot of people are bored right now," said Bowa, whose first ejection came on July 14 that year. "Or maybe things are not going good at home."

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Record through 100 games (1997): 30-70

Previous job: Third-base coach, Detroit. Francona had never been a major-league manager.

Darkest time: It started on opening day when cleanup hitter Danny Tartabull fouled a ball off his foot. He played in two more games before heading to the DL and never played again. How bad were things? Tartabull was the Phillies' leader in All-Star votes despite not playing since April 7.

Notable: The Phillies traded popular catcher Darren Daulton to the Marlins for Billy McMillon, an outfielder who played 24 games for the Phils. Daulton helped Florida win the World Series that year. … The Phils lost a game on a ball boy's interference, lost a pitcher (Garrett Stephenson) who was injured walking up steps, and were blown out even though their pitcher (Calvin Maduro) had a no-hitter through five innings.

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Record through 100 games (1991): 49-51

Previous job: Special assignment scout, Phillies

Darkest time: Lenny Dykstra and Darren Daulton were lucky they weren't killed when Dykstra lost control of his red, 1991 Mercedes and crashed in Radnor Township early on May 6. Dykstra, who had a blood-alcohol level of .178,  broke his right collarbone, a bone under his right eye and three ribs and suffered a slightly punctured right lung. He missed 61 games. Daulton, who had a fractured left eye socket, missed 16 games.

Notable: Fregosi replaced Nick Leyva after a 4-9 start, which included three walkoff losses and a 1-6 road trip. … The Phillies were in last place when they began a 13-game winning streak (games No. 86-98) to tie the franchise's modern-day record. The high-wire act that was closer Mitch Williams went 5-0 with three saves during the streak. He had eight walks in 10 2/3 innings, but did not allow a run. It was remarkable. They were able to move up only to fifth place, however.

Notes: Pete Mackanin managed 88 games in 2015 when the Phillies finished in fifth place, 27 games back. After 12 games in 2016, they were in third place, five games back. Mackanin was 37-51 in 2015 and started 2016 5-7. … Ryne Sandberg managed 42 games in 2013, when the Phillies finished in fourth place, 23 games back. After 58 games in 2014, they were in fifth place, seven games back. Sandberg was 20-22 in 2013 and 24-34 in 2014. … Gary Varsho (1-1) managed the final two games in 2004. … Dallas Green won the World Series in his first full season (1980). He was 19-11 in 1979 when the underachieving Phillies finished 14 games back of Pittsburgh in the NL East. … Gene Mauch took over the Phillies in the third game in 1960 and went 58-94. The Phils were 47-107 in his first full season (1961), which stands as the club's worst season since World War II. … Eddie Sawyer was 23-40 in 1948, 17-20 to start 1949. He led the Phillies Whiz Kids to the NL pennant in 1950, when they were swept by Joe DiMaggio and the Yankees in the World Series. … Pat Moran was the skipper when the Phillies lost the 1915 World Series to the Boston Red Sox.