Don Mattingly

Mattingly is ambidextrous. He pitched in Little League Baseball and was also a first baseman, throwing both right-handed and left-handed, and was a member of the 1973 Great Scot Little League championship team in Evansville, Indiana, under the coaching of Pete Studer and Earl Hobbs. In American Legion baseball for Funkhouser Post #8, Mattingly played at second base, throwing right-handed.[2]

Playing for Reitz Memorial High School's baseball team, the Tigers, Mattingly led the school to a state record 59 straight victories through the 1978–79 season. The Tigers won the state championship in 1978 and finished as the runner-up in 1979. Mattingly was the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude recipient in 1979. He was All-City, All-Southern Indiana Athletic Conference (SIAC), and All-State in 1978 and 1979. During the four years he played in high school, Mattingly batted .463, leading the Tigers to a 94–9–1 win–loss record. He still holds Reitz Memorial records for hits (152), doubles (29), triples (25), runs batted in (RBIs) (140), and runs scored (99). His 25 triples is also an Indiana state record.[3] A multi-sport athlete, Mattingly was selected to the SIAC all-conference basketball team in 1978.[4]

Following his high school career, Mattingly accepted a scholarship to play baseball for the Indiana State Sycamores. His father, Bill, informed Major League Baseball (MLB) teams that his son intended to honor that commitment and would not sign a professional contract. Mattingly lasted in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft until the 19th round, when he was selected by the New York Yankees. He was not interested in attending college, so he chose to sign with the Yankees, receiving a $23,000 signing bonus.[2][5]

Mattingly with the Nashville Sounds in 1981

Mattingly began his professional career in Minor League Baseball with the Oneonta Yankees of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League in 1979.[6] He hoped to bat .500 for Oneonta and was disappointed with his .349 batting average, which never went lower than .340.[2] He batted a league-leading .358 in 1980 for the Greensboro Hornets of the Class A South Atlantic League in addition to recording a league-best 177 hits.[6][7] He won the league MVP award and was named to the postseason All-Star team.[8] With the Double-A Nashville Sounds in 1981, he hit .316 and led the Southern League with 35 doubles.[6][9] He was selected to play in the Southern League All-Star Game and named to its postseason All-Star team.[10][11]

Despite Mattingly's hitting ability, there were concerns about his lack of speed and power. Bob Schaefer, his manager at Greensboro, said that the organization considered moving him to second base, from which he would throw right-handed.[2] Mattingly was batting .325 for the Columbus Clippers of the Triple-A International League when he made it to the majors late in the 1982 season.[6] He was named to the league's postseason All-Star team and finished third in the voting for the International League MVP Award.[12]

Mattingly made his Major League debut on September 8, 1982, as a late inning defensive replacement against the Baltimore Orioles.[13] He recorded his first at-bat on September 11 against the Milwaukee Brewers, popping out to third base in the seventh inning.[14] His first career Major League hit occurred in the bottom of the 11th inning against the Boston Red Sox on October 1, a single to right field off of Steve Crawford.[15] He only had 2 hits in 12 at-bats that season.

Mattingly spent his rookie season of 1983 as a part-time first baseman and outfielder. He hit .283 in 279 at-bats. He hit his first home run on June 24 against John Tudor of the Red Sox.[16]

Mattingly became the Yankees' full-time first baseman in 1984.[17] With a batting average of .339, he was selected as a reserve for the 1984 All-Star Game.[17] Heading into the final game of the season, Mattingly and teammate Dave Winfield were competing for the American League batting title, with Mattingly trailing Winfield by .002. On the final day of the season. Mattingly went 4-for-5, while Winfield batted 1-for-4. Mattingly won the batting title with a .343 average, while Winfield finished second with a .340 average.[2] Mattingly also led the league with 207 hits. He hit a league-leading 44 doubles to go with 23 home runs. He was second in the league in slugging percentage (.537) and at bats per strikeout (18.3), fourth in total bases (324), fifth in RBIs (110), sixth in sacrifice flies (9), and tenth in on-base percentage (.381).[18]

Mattingly with the Yankees.

Mattingly followed up his breakout season with a spectacular 1985, winning the MVP award in the American League. He batted .324 (3rd in the league) with 35 home runs (4th), 48 doubles (1st), and 145 RBIs (1st), then the most RBIs in a season by a left-handed major league batter since Ted Williams drove in 159 in 1949. His 21-RBIs lead in the category was the most in the American League since Al Rosen's 30-RBI lead in 1953. He led the league in sacrifice flies (15), total bases (370), and extra base hits (86), and was 2nd in the AL in hits (211) and slugging percentage (.567), 3rd in intentional walks (13) and at bats per strikeout (13.9), 6th in runs (107), and 9th in at bats per home run (18.6). He batted .354 with two out and runners in scoring position.

Mattingly was also recognized in 1985 for his defense, winning his first of nine Gold Glove Awards.[18] He was considered such an asset defensively that Yankees management assigned him to play games at second base and third base early in his career, even though he was a left-handed thrower. Mattingly appeared as a left-handed throwing second baseman for one-third of one inning, during the resumption of the George Brett "Pine Tar Incident" game in 1983. He also played three games at third base during a five-game series against the Seattle Mariners in 1986.[19]

Mattingly had a better year in 1986, leading the league with 238 hits, 53 doubles, and breaking the single-season franchise records set by Earle Combs (231 hits) and Lou Gehrig (52 doubles); both records had been set in 1927.[20] He also recorded 388 total bases and a .573 slugging percentage. He batted .352 (second in the league), hit 31 home runs (sixth) and drove in 113 runs (third). However, he was beaten in the American League MVP voting by pitcher Roger Clemens, who also won the Cy Young Award that year.[21] Mattingly also became the last left-handed player to field a ball at third base during a Major League game.[22]

In 1987, Mattingly tied Dale Long's major league record by hitting home runs in eight consecutive games, from 8–18 July (the All-Star game occurred in the middle of the streak; Mattingly, starting at first base, was 0 for 3). This record was later tied again by Ken Griffey Jr., of Seattle in 1993. Mattingly also set a record by recording an extra base hit in ten consecutive games. Mattingly had a record 10 home runs during this streak (Long and Griffey had eight during their streaks). Also that season, Mattingly set a major league record by hitting six grand slams in a season (two during his July home run streak), a record matched by Travis Hafner during the 2006 season. Mattingly's grand slams in 1987 were also the only grand slams of his career.[23]

In June 1987, it was reported that Mattingly injured his back during some clubhouse horseplay with pitcher Bob Shirley though both denied this.[24] Nevertheless, he finished with a .327 batting average, 30 home runs, and 115 RBIs, his fourth straight year with at least 110 RBIs. Between 1985 and 1987, Mattingly hit 96 home runs with just 114 strikeouts.[18]

Mattingly playing for the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 19, 1988

Mattingly hit 18 home runs and recorded 88 RBIs in 1988, but nonetheless was still in the top 10 in the league in batting average at a .311 clip.[2] He rebounded in 1989 to 113 RBIs, but his average dipped to .303. Mattingly's five runs scored on April 30, 1988, marked the 12th time it has been done by a Yankee.

Mattingly's back problems flared up anew in 1990; after struggling with the bat, he had to go on the disabled list in July, only returning late in the season for an ineffective finish. His stat line—a .256 average, 5 home runs and 42 RBIs in almost 400 at-bats—came as a shock. Mattingly underwent extensive therapy in the offseason, but his hitting ability was never quite the same. Though he averaged .290 over his final five seasons, he became more of a slap hitter, hitting just 53 home runs over that timeframe. He did see a brief resurgence in power in 1993, hitting 17 home runs and driving in 86 runs in 134 games as the Yankees finished second in the division behind Toronto. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, he posted a .304 average, the first time since 1989 that he hit over .300. Mattingly's defense remained stellar, but he was not always physically able to play.

Mattingly made his major league debut in 1982, the year after the Yankees lost the World Series. The team did not reach the postseason in any of Mattingly's first 13 years, although they arguably would have made the playoffs in 1994, when the players' strike ended the season prematurely with the Yankees having the best record in the American League.

In 1995, Mattingly finally reached the playoffs when the Yankees won the AL wild card on the next-to-last day of the season. In the only postseason series of his career, facing the Seattle Mariners, Mattingly batted .417 with six RBIs and a memorable go-ahead home run in Game Two, his final game at Yankee Stadium. In the final game of the series (and of his career), Mattingly again broke a tie with a two-run double. The New York bullpen faltered and Seattle won in the 11th inning of the decisive Game Five.

The Yankees acquired Tino Martinez to succeed Mattingly after the 1995 season.[25] Unsigned for the 1996 season, Mattingly decided to sit out for the year, and rebuffed an inquiry by the Baltimore Orioles, who tried to sign him at midseason. Mattingly officially announced his retirement in January 1997.[26]

For his career, Mattingly never appeared in the World Series, and his tenure with the Yankees marks the team's largest drought without a World Series appearance. The Yankees made the series in both 1981 (the year prior to Mattingly's rookie year) and 1996 (the year after his last with the club).

After retiring as a player, Mattingly spent seven seasons as a special instructor during Yankees' spring training in Tampa, Florida from 1997 through 2003. Following the 2003 season, the Yankees named Mattingly the hitting coach. He spent three seasons in that role, receiving much praise from the Yankees organization and his players. Under Mattingly, the Yankees set an all-time franchise record with 242 home runs in 2004. After the 2006 season, Mattingly shifted to bench coach, replacing Lee Mazzilli.[27]

After the 2007 season, when Joe Torre declined a one-year contract extension, Mattingly was a finalist for the Yankees' manager position, along with Joe Girardi and Tony Peña. The Yankees offered the managerial position to Girardi, who accepted.[28]

After not being offered the position of manager for the Yankees, Mattingly joined Torre with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the team's hitting coach. On January 22, 2008, Mattingly was replaced as hitting coach, citing family reasons, instead serving as major league special assignment coach for the Dodgers in 2008.[29] Mattingly succeeded Mike Easler as Dodgers' hitting coach that July.[30] The Dodgers were the National League Runner-up in 2008 and 2009 (losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in both National League championship series), largely behind the bat of mid-season acquisition Manny Ramirez.

Mattingly with the Dodgers

In the 2009–10 offseason, Mattingly was a finalist for the managerial position with the Cleveland Indians, for which Manny Acta was eventually hired.[31] When Torre decided to retire at the end of the 2010 season, Mattingly was announced as his replacement.[32] To acquire some managerial experience, Mattingly managed the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League in 2010.[33]

Mattingly made his managerial debut on March 31, 2011 by defeating in-state rival and defending champion San Francisco Giants 2–1 at Dodger Stadium.[34] Despite the background of a bitter divorce battle between Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt and his wife that put the fiscal health of the Dodgers into jeopardy, Mattingly managed to take the Dodgers to a winning record that season due to his mentorship of many young players such as MVP candidate Matt Kemp and Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw:

"He's so positive", Kershaw said. "All he asks of us is just go out there and play the way we're supposed to. Do things the right way on the field, and he's happy with you. When it's simple like that, it's easy to play for, and it's fun to play for."[35]

In 2013 Mattingly and the Dodgers got off to a rough start due to various injuries and were in last place in May, leading to much media speculation that he would soon be fired.[36] However, once players got healthy the team went on a tear and managed to win the NL West and beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS in four games. They then lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS in six games. After the season, Mattingly called out Dodger management for its perceived lack of support of him during the season and said that he wanted a multi-year contract in place in order to return in 2014.[37] Mattingly finished second in the voting for National League Manager of the Year.[38]

Mattingly stated that one of his managerial idols was Tony La Russa. Mattingly admired La Russa from his playing days with the Yankees in the late 1980s. LaRussa had managed the dominant Oakland Athletics teams of the era. Mattingly recalled that despite the A's superiority to the Yankees, they still played intensely.[35]

On January 7, 2014, Mattingly and the Dodgers agreed on a three-year contract extension for him to remain as manager of the Dodgers.[39] On September 29, 2015, Mattingly became the first manager in the history of the Dodgers franchise, in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles, to lead the team to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. The Dodgers lost in five games to the New York Mets in the National League Divisional Series.

On October 22, 2015, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mattingly mutually agreed to part ways, and he stepped down from his position in Los Angeles with one year left on his contract.[40] He had a 446–363 record[41] with the Dodgers, with a winning percentage of .551,[41] which was second best in Los Angeles Dodgers history.[42] He finished with a post–season record of eight wins and 11 losses[41] and was the first manager in franchise history to guide the team to three straight post-season appearances.[42]

In fall of 2015, Mattingly signed a four-year contract to manage the Miami Marlins.[43][44] Mattingly led the Marlins to win 79 games in his first year (the most wins for the team since winning 80 in 2010) which had him place fifth in the final voting for NL Manager of the Year. In 2020, Mattingly led the Marlins to the NL Wild Card, leading them to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. He also won the NL Manager of the Year award.[45] On July 8, 2021, Mattingly’s mutual option for the 2022 season was picked up by both him and the Marlins.[46] On September 25, 2022, Mattingly stated that he and the Marlins mutually agreed that he would finish the season as manager, and not return to the role in 2023.[47][48]

Mattingly's retired number in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium

Mattingly was on the Hall of Fame ballot from 2001 to 2015, never getting enough votes for induction. In his first year, he received 145 votes (28.2%), but this steadily declined; by 2009, only 12% of voters still put him on their ballots.[53] In 2015, Mattingly's eligibility expired after fifteen attempts. He had been grandfathered onto the ballot after the committee restricted eligibility to ten years. Mattingly is now eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame via the Modern Baseball era committee.

Mattingly has been honored by two minor league Halls of Fame. He was inducted in the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame in 1994 and the New York–Penn League Hall of Fame in 2015.[54][55]

In 2001, Mattingly was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame;[56] his plaque displays his phenomenal high school and professional career. In 1987, he was named the American Legion Graduate of the Year, for his success in the Major Leagues following his American Legion baseball career.[57]