| Don Mattingly | |
|---|---|
_crop.jpg) Mattingly at the 2015 MLB Winter Meetings | |
| First baseman /Manager | |
| Born: (1961-04-20)April 20, 1961 (age 64) Evansville, Indiana, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 8, 1982, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1995, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .307 |
| Hits | 2,153 |
| Home runs | 222 |
| Runs batted in | 1,099 |
| Managerial record | 889–950 |
| Winning % | .483 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Donald Arthur Mattingly (born April 20, 1961),[1] nicknamed "Donnie Baseball" and "the Hit Man", is an American formerfirst baseman,manager andcoach inMajor League Baseball (MLB) who spent his entire playing career with theNew York Yankees from 1982 to 1995. A 6-timeAll-Star, he led theAmerican League (AL) indoubles three consecutive years, and inhits andtotal bases twice each. After winning the ALbatting title with a .343 mark in his first full season in 1984, he was named the league'sMost Valuable Player (MVP) in 1985 after hitting .324 with 145runs batted in (RBI), the highest total in the league in over 30 years. The following year, he was runner-up for the MVP award after batting .352, leading the AL in hits, doubles,slugging percentage and total bases; his 53 doubles and 388 total bases were the highest totals by any major league player in the 1980s, and his totals of doubles and 238 hits remain Yankees franchise records. In 1987 he tied a major league record by hittinghome runs in eight consecutive games, and later that year set another record by hitting sixgrand slams in one season.
Congenital back problems which forced him to miss part of the 1990 season also contributed to a decline in Mattingly's power hitting, but after being named the team'scaptain in 1991 he enjoyed a resurgence in productivity, leading the Yankees in RBI, hits, doubles and batting average in 1992. Long frustrated by the team's failure to reach the postseason despite having the best record of any major league team during the 1980s, he helped lead the team to first place in 1994, batting .304, only to have the playoffs cancelled due to awork stoppage. He finally reached the postseason in his final season in 1995, but New York lost theDivision Series in five games although Mattingly batted .417 with a home run and four doubles, driving in go-ahead runs in three games. His veteran leadership and influence on a core of young players has been credited for helping propel the club to fourWorld Series titles in the next five years.
Regarded as one of the greatest defensive first basemen in history, Mattingly won a league-record nineGold Glove Awards, leading the AL infielding percentage seven times, also a league record; he retired with the highest career fielding percentage (.996) in league history, since broken byMark Teixeira. His 1,634 games at first base then ranked tenth in AL history, his 1,104assists ranked ninth, and his 1,500double plays were tied for fifth. After batting over .300 seven times, Mattingly retired with a career average of .307, then the sixth highest among major league players with at least 5,000at bats since 1960. The Yankeesretired his uniform number (23) in 1997, making him the only Yankee to have his number retired without having won a World Series with the team.
Returning to the Yankees as a coach in 2004 under managerJoe Torre, Mattingly followed Torre to theLos Angeles Dodgers in 2008, and later succeeded him for five seasons, winning three division titles; he then became manager of theMiami Marlins for seven years, and was named theNational League (NL)Manager of the Year in 2020 after guiding the team to its first playoff appearance in 17 years; he joinedFrank Robinson and Torre to become the third person to win an MVP Award, a Gold Glove and Manager of the Year. He served as bench coach for theToronto Blue Jays from 2023 to 2025.[2]
Donald Arthur Mattingly was born on April 20, 1961, inEvansville, Indiana. Although naturally left-handed, he displayedambidextrous ability. Hepitched inLittle League Baseball as well as playing first base, throwing both right-handed and left-handed, and was a member of the 1973 Great Scot Little League championship team in Evansville, under the coaching of Pete Studer and Earl Hobbs. InAmerican Legion Baseball for Funkhouser Post #8, Mattingly played atsecond base, throwing right-handed.[3]
Playing forReitz Memorial High School's baseball team, the Tigers, Mattingly led the school to a state-record 59 straight victories through the 1978–79 season, losing to theLogansport Berries. 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 94–9–1win–loss record. He still holds Reitz Memorial records for hits (152), doubles (29),triples (25), RBI (140), andruns scored (99). His 25 triples are also an Indiana state record.[4] A multisport athlete (basketball, football and baseball), Mattingly was selected to the SIAC all-conference basketball team in 1978.[5]
After graduating from high school, Mattingly accepted ascholarship to play baseball for theIndiana State Sycamores.
Mattingly lasted in the1979 Major League Baseball draft until the 19th round, when he was selected by theNew York Yankees. His father, Bill, informed major league teams that his son intended to honor his college commitment and would not sign a professional contract. Don Mattingly was not interested in attending college, so he chose to sign with the Yankees, receiving a $23,000signing bonus.[3][6]
Mattingly began his professional career inMinor League Baseball with theOneonta Yankees of theClass A-Short SeasonNew York–Penn League in 1979.[7] He hoped to bat .500 for Oneonta and was disappointed with his .349 batting average, which never went lower than .340.[3] He batted a league-leading .358 in 1980 for theGreensboro Hornets of theClass ASouth Atlantic League in addition to recording a league-best 177 hits.[7][8] He won the league MVP award and was named to the postseason All-Star team.[9] With theDouble-ANashville Sounds in 1981, he hit .316 and led theSouthern League with 35 doubles.[7][10] He was selected to play in theSouthern League All-Star Game and named to its postseason All-Star team.[11][12]
Despite Mattingly's hitting ability, concerns existed about his lack of speed andpower.Bob Schaefer, his manager at Greensboro, said that the organization considered moving him to second base, from which he would throw right-handed.[3] Mattingly was batting .325 for theColumbus Clippers of theTriple-AInternational League when he made it to the majors as aSeptember call-up in late 1982.[7] He was named to the league's postseason All-Star team and finished third in the voting for theInternational League MVP Award.[13]
Mattingly made his major league debut on September 8, 1982, as a late-inning defensive replacement against theBaltimore Orioles.[14] He recorded his first at bat on September 11 against theMilwaukee Brewers,popping out to third base in the seventh inning.[15] He made his first career major league hit in the bottom of the 11th inning of a 3-2, 12-inning loss to theBoston Red Sox on October 1, a single to right field offSteve Crawford.[16] He only had two hits in 12 at bats that season.
Mattingly spent his rookie season of 1983 as a part-time first baseman and outfielder. After four games in April, he was sent back to Columbus for two months before returning, and hit .283 in 279 at bats. He hit his first home run on June 24 againstJohn Tudor in a 5-4 road loss to the Red Sox.[17]
Mattingly became the Yankees' full-time first baseman in 1984.[18] With a batting average of .339, he was selected as a reserve for the 1984All-Star Game.[18] Heading into the final game of the season, Mattingly and teammateDave Winfield were competing for the American Leaguebatting 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.[3] 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 insacrifice flies (9), and tenth inon-base percentage (.381).[19]
Mattingly followed up his breakout season with a spectacular 1985, winning the ALMVP Award. He batted .324 (third in the league) with 35 home runs (fourth), 48 doubles (first), and 145 RBIs (first), then the most RBIs in a season by a left-handed major league batter sinceTed Williams drove in 159 in 1949.[20] His 21-RBI margin over second place in that category was the largest in the American League sinceAl Rosen's lead of 30 RBIs in 1953. He led the league in sacrifice flies (15), total bases (370), andextra base hits (86), and was second in the AL in hits (211) and slugging percentage (.567), third inintentional walks (13) and at bats per strikeout (13.9), sixth in runs (107), and ninth in at bats per home run (18.6). He batted .354 with two out and runners inscoring position.
Mattingly was also recognized in 1985 for his defense, winning his first of nineGold Glove Awards.[19] He was considered such an asset defensively that Yankees management assigned him to play games atsecond base andthird base early in his career, though he was a left-handed thrower. Mattingly appeared as a left-handed throwing second baseman during the resumption of theGeorge Brett "Pine Tar Incident" game on August 18, 1983, shifting from first base in the ninth inning for one batter, whostruck out. He also played three games at third base during a five-game road series against theSeattle Mariners in late August 1986,[21] including one complete game, and recorded 11 assists with oneerror while throwing left-handed.
Mattingly had a better year in 1986, leading the league with 238 hits and 53 doubles, and breaking the single-season franchise records set byEarle Combs (231 hits) andLou Gehrig (52 doubles); both records had been set on thelegendary 1927 team.[22] He also recorded 388 total bases and a .573 slugging percentage, and had the league's longesthitting streak of the season, making hits in 24 consecutive games, from a 3-0 win over theSeattle Mariners in the second game of a doubleheader on August 30 through a 3-2 loss to theDetroit Tigers on September 26. He batted .352 (second in the league), hit 31 home runs (sixth) and drove in 113 runs (third). He was beaten in the American League MVP voting, though, by pitcherRoger Clemens, who also won theCy Young Award that year.[23] Mattingly also became the last left-handed player to field a ball at third base during a major league game.[24]
In 1987, Mattingly tiedDale 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).[25] This record was later tied again byKen Griffey Jr., of the Mariners in 1993. Mattingly also set a record by recording an extra base hit in 10 consecutive games. Mattingly had a record 10 home runs during this streak (Long and Griffey had eight during their streaks), including a 12-3 road win over theTexas Rangers on July 16 in which he had two home runs including a grand slam and a career-high 7 RBI. That year, Mattingly set a major league record by hitting six grand slams in a season (two during his July home run streak), a record matched byTravis Hafner during the 2006 season. Mattingly's grand slams in 1987 were ironically the only grand slams of his career.[26]
| MLB-record six Grand Slams in one season1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Against | Pitcher | Venue | Score |
| 1 | May 14 | Texas Rangers | Mike Mason | Yankee Stadium | 9–1 W |
| 2 | Jun 29 | Toronto Blue Jays | John Cerutti | Exhibition Stadium | 15–14 W |
| 3 | Jul 10 | Chicago White Sox | Joel McKeon | Yankee Stadium | 9–5 W |
| 4 | Jul 16 | Texas Rangers | Charlie Hough | Arlington Stadium | 12–3 W |
| 5 | Sep 25 | Baltimore Orioles | José Mesa | Memorial Stadium | 8–4 W |
| 6 | Sep 29 | Boston Red Sox | Bruce Hurst | Yankee Stadium | 6–0 W |
In June 1987, Mattingly reportedly injured his back during some clubhouse horseplay with pitcherBob Shirley, though both denied this.[27] 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.[19]
Mattingly hit 18 home runs and recorded 88 RBIs in 1988, but still was in the top 10 in the league in batting average with a .311 mark,[3] and scored a career-high five runs in a 15-3 win over the Rangers on April 30. He rebounded in 1989 to 113 RBIs, but his average dipped to .303. Mattingly's five runs in the win over Texas 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 statistics line—a .256 average, five 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 time. His defense remained stellar, but he was not always physically able to play, especially on defense, and from 1989 to 1992 was sometimes used as adesignated hitter. 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 the Toronto. On July 22, 1993 he hit his 200th home run, a 3-run blast in the seventh inning of a 12-1 win over theCalifornia Angels. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, he posted a .304 average, the first time since 1989 that he hit over .300. On April 7, 1994 he passed 1,000 RBI, driving in two runs in an 18-6 mauling of the Rangers, and on July 23 he made his 2,000th career hit, a seventh-inning single in a 7-2 road win over the Angels.
Mattingly made his major league debut in 1982, the year after the Yankees lost theWorld Series. The team did not reach the postseason in any of Mattingly's first 13 years, although they had the best record in the American League in 1994 when theplayers' strike ended the season prematurely.
In 1995, Mattingly finally reached the playoffs when the Yankees clinched the ALwild card on the last day of the season with a 6-1 road win over Toronto, including his last regular-season home run in the fifth inning. Facing theSeattle Mariners in theAL Division Series, the only postseason series of his career, Mattingly batted .417 with six RBIs and a memorable go-ahead home run in Game 2, his final game atYankee Stadium. In the final game of the series (and of his career), Mattingly again broke a tie with a two-run double, but the New York bullpen faltered, and Seattle won in the 11th inning of the decisive Game 5.
The Yankees acquiredTino Martinez to succeed Mattingly after the 1995 season.[28] Unsigned for the 1996 season, Mattingly decided to sit out for the year, and rebuffed an inquiry by theBaltimore Orioles, which tried to sign him at midseason. Mattingly officially announced his retirement in January 1997.[29]
For his career, Mattingly never appeared in the World Series, and his tenure with the Yankees marks the team's lpngest drought (14 years), later tied (2010–2023) without a World Series appearance. The Yankees made the series in both1981 (the year prior to Mattingly's debut) and their1996 championship season (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 inTampa, 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, replacingLee Mazzilli.[30]
After the 2007 season, whenJoe Torre declined a one-year contract extension, Mattingly was a finalist for the Yankees' manager position, along withJoe Girardi andTony Peña. The Yankees offered the managerial position to Girardi, who accepted.[31]
After not being offered the position of manager for the Yankees, Mattingly joined Torre with theLos 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.[32] Mattingly succeededMike Easler as the Dodgers hitting coach that July.[33] The Dodgers were the National League runners-up in 2008 and 2009 (losing to thePhiladelphia Phillies in bothNational League Championship Series), largely behind the bat of midseason acquisitionManny Ramirez.[34][35]
In the 2009–10 offseason, Mattingly was a finalist for the managerial position with theCleveland Indians, for whichManny Acta was eventually hired.[36]
On November 30, 2022, theToronto Blue Jays announced that Mattingly would join the team as its bench coach.[37] Ahead of the 2024 season, Mattingly was given the additional title of offensive coordinator, overseeing the team's hitting coaches and video coordinator.[38]
Following the 2024 season, Mattingly's role was reverted to that of a traditional bench coach.[39] Mattingly was on the coaching roster when the Blue Jays made an unexpected run in the postseason, defeating his former team, the Yankees, in four games in the2025 American League Division Series, and then winning the2025 American League Championship Series over the Mariners in seven games to reach the World Series, which was Mattingly's first World Series appearance after over 40 years of playing/managing/coaching. In the2025 World Series, Mattingly's team lost in seven games to the Dodgers who were managed byDave Roberts, whom the Dodgers hired after parting ways with Mattingly in 2015.[40] The Dodgers'Clayton Kershaw was one of the few players remaining from when Mattingly managed that team.[41]
After the World Series loss, Mattingly stepped down from his role with the Blue Jays on November 6, 2025.[42]
When Torre decided to retire at the end of the 2010 season, Mattingly was announced as his replacement.[43] To acquire some managerial experience, Mattingly managed thePhoenix Desert Dogs of theArizona Fall League in 2010.[44]
Mattingly made his managerial debut on March 31, 2011, by defeatingin-state rival anddefending championSan Francisco Giants 2–1 atDodger Stadium.[45] Despite the background of a bitter divorce battle between Dodgers' ownerFrank 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 candidateMatt Kemp andCy Young Award winnerClayton 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."[46]
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.[47] Once players got healthy, though, the team went on a tear and managed to win the NL West and beat theAtlanta Braves in the2013 National League Division Series (NLDS) in four games. They then lost to theSt. Louis Cardinals in theNLCS 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 multiyear contract in place to return in 2014.[48] Mattingly finished second in the voting forNational League Manager of the Year.[49]
Mattingly stated that one of his managerial idols wasTony La Russa. Mattingly admired La Russa from his playing days with the Yankees in the late 1980s. LaRussa had managed the dominantOakland Athletics teams of the era. Mattingly recalled that despite the A's superiority to the Yankees, they still played intensely.[46]
On January 7, 2014, Mattingly and the Dodgers agreed on a three-year contract extension for him to remain as manager of the Dodgers.[50] In the subsequent two seasons, the Dodgers won the NL West but lost the NLDS both years; in four games to the Cardinals in 2014, and in five games to theNew York Mets in 2015.
On October 22, 2015, the Dodgers and Mattingly mutually agreed to part ways, and he stepped down from his position with one year left on his contract.[51] Some have suggested that the Dodgers were not willing to give Mattingly a long-term contract, while Mattingly has since said that his decision was based on family considerations.[52] He had a 446–363 record[53] with the Dodgers, with a winning percentage of .551,[53] which was second-best in Los Angeles Dodgers history.[54] He finished with a postseason record of eight wins and 11 losses[53] and was the first manager in franchise history to guide the team to three straight postseason appearances.[54]
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In the fall of 2015, Mattingly signed a four-year contract to manage theMiami Marlins.[55][56] Mattingly led the Marlins to 79 wins in his first year (the most wins for the team since winning 80 in 2010), which had him place fifth in the final voting forNL Manager of the Year.[57] In 2020, Mattingly led the Marlins to theNL Wild Card, leading them to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. He also won theNL Manager of the Year award.[58] On July 8, 2021, Mattingly's mutual option for the 2022 season was picked up by both the Marlins and him.[59] On September 25, 2022, Mattingly stated that the Marlins and he mutually agreed that he would finish the season as manager, and not return to the role in 2023.[60][61]
Mattingly managed the MLB All-Star Team at the2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series.[62]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| LAD | 2011 | 161 | 82 | 79 | .509 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | |
| LAD | 2012 | 162 | 86 | 76 | .531 | 2nd in NL West | – | – | – | |
| LAD | 2013 | 162 | 92 | 70 | .568 | 1st in NL West | 5 | 5 | .500 | LostNLCS (STL) |
| LAD | 2014 | 162 | 94 | 68 | .580 | 1st in NL West | 1 | 3 | .250 | LostNLDS (STL) |
| LAD | 2015 | 162 | 92 | 70 | .568 | 1st in NL West | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostNLDS (NYM) |
| LAD total | 809 | 446 | 363 | .551 | 8 | 11 | .421 | |||
| MIA | 2016 | 161 | 79 | 82 | .491 | 3rd in NL East | – | – | – | |
| MIA | 2017 | 162 | 77 | 85 | .475 | 2nd in NL East | – | – | – | |
| MIA | 2018 | 161 | 63 | 98 | .391 | 5th in NL East | – | – | – | |
| MIA | 2019 | 162 | 57 | 105 | .352 | 5th in NL East | – | – | – | |
| MIA | 2020 | 60 | 31 | 29 | .517 | 2nd in NL East | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostNLDS (ATL) |
| MIA | 2021 | 162 | 67 | 95 | .414 | 4th in NL East | – | – | – | |
| MIA | 2022 | 162 | 69 | 93 | .426 | 4th in NL East | – | – | – | |
| MIA total | 1,030 | 443 | 587 | .430 | 2 | 3 | .400 | |||
| Total[53] | 1,839 | 889 | 950 | .483 | 10 | 14 | .417 | |||
Mattingly finished his career with 2,153 hits, 222 home runs, 1,007 runs scored, 1,099 RBIs, with threeSilver Slugger Awards. His .307 lifetime batting average then placed him behind onlyTony Gwynn (then at .336),Wade Boggs (then at .334),Rod Carew (.328),Kirby Puckett (.318) andRoberto Clemente (.317) among players with 5,000 at bats since the major league expansion era began in 1961. He is commonly cited as the best Yankee player to have never played in a World Series. His career had bad timing, as the Yankees lost the World Series the year before he broke into the big leagues and they ended up winning the World Series in the first year of Mattingly's retirement, not to mention the Yankees had the best record in the American League in 1994 before the strike. This World Series drought (1982–1995) was the longest in Yankees history since the start of theBabe Ruth era in 1920, and it was worsened by the strike, which ended a promising chance for a World Series title.
Buck Showalter, Mattingly's last manager during his playing days and a former teammate in the minor leagues, attributed Mattingly's calmness to the controversies he was subjected to as manager of the Dodgers to Mattingly's experience as a player having to deal with controversies during his time with the Yankees.[63]
The Yankees retired Mattingly's number 23 and dedicated his plaque forMonument Park at Yankee Stadium on August 31, 1997. The plaque calls him, "A humble man of grace and dignity, a captain who led by example, proud of the pinstripe tradition and dedicated to the pursuit of excellence, a Yankee forever."[64] Additionally, his uniform number with the Double-A Nashville Sounds (18) was retired by the team in a ceremony atHerschel Greer Stadium attended by Mattingly on August 12, 1999.[65]
Mattingly became eligible for election to theBaseball Hall of Fame in2001, receiving 28.2% of the vote (election requires 75%); he dropped to 20% the following year, and generally received between 10% and 14% of the vote over the next decade,[66] receiving only 9% in2015, his final year of eligibility (he had been grandfathered onto the ballot after the Hall of Fame restricted eligibility to ten years in 2014). Since Mattingly's first year on the ballot, there has been controversy over the election that year ofKirby Puckett, who was also newly eligible and had likewise played his first full season in 1984, as their career statistics are very similar:
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | BA | OBP | SA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Mattingly | 1785 | 7003 | 1007 | 2153 | 442 | 20 | 222 | 1099 | 588 | .307 | 358 | .471 |
| Kirby Puckett | 1783 | 7244 | 1071 | 2304 | 414 | 57 | 207 | 1085 | 450 | .318 | 360 | .477 |
Puckett's election has generally been attributed to the view that while Mattingly's strongest years were early in his career, Puckett's production was more consistent, and there was considerable sympathy over his career ending abruptly due to an eye injury.[67] And yet there are other similarities other than career totals, as both players won one batting title and led the AL in RBI once and total bases twice; for each, their lowest batting average in a full season was .288, and both topped the .350 mark once. Mattingly finished in the top seven in MVP voting four times, and in the top twenty in three other years; Puckett finished in the top seven in seven years, but otherwise was never in the top twenty. Mattingly won more Gold Gloves (nine to six), and had more seasons with 30 home runs, 100 RBI, 40 doubles or 300 total bases, though Puckett was on more All-Star teams (ten to six). Another Hall of Famer with striking similarities to Mattingly isBill Terry; both players were left-handed first basemen who spent their entire careers with New York teams on opposite sides of theHarlem River. Both played in all or part of 14 seasons (Terry played 10 full seasons, Mattingly 11), and each won one batting title:
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | BA | OBP | SA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Mattingly | 1785 | 7003 | 1007 | 2153 | 442 | 20 | 222 | 1099 | 588 | .307 | 358 | .471 |
| Bill Terry | 1721 | 6428 | 1120 | 2193 | 373 | 112 | 154 | 1078 | 537 | .341 | 393 | .506 |
Terry's higher averages can be primarily attributed to the remarkably elevated averages in the National League in the late 1920s and early 1930s, which highly favored hitters; when he won the batting title in 1930, the league average was .303 (Mattingly won his title when the league average was .264), and the league average over Terry's career was .283, compared to .263 during Mattingly's career. Mattingly is the moststatistically similar player to both Puckett and Terry. One more Hall of Famer who is something of a mirror image to Mattingly isGeorge Kell, whose defensive skills were largely identical to Mattingly's - but the right-handed Kell was able to play as a third baseman, while the left-handed Mattingly was essentially limited to playing on the opposite side of the diamond:
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | BA | OBP | SA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Mattingly | 1785 | 7003 | 1007 | 2153 | 442 | 20 | 222 | 1099 | 588 | .307 | 358 | .471 |
| George Kell | 1795 | 6702 | 880 | 2054 | 385 | 50 | 78 | 870 | 621 | .306 | 367 | .414 |
Mattingly is now eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame via theContemporary Baseball Era Players Committee. He was included on the 2018, 2020, and 2022 ballots, but did not receive enough votes for induction,[68][69][70] coming closer with 50% of the vote in 2022. He is set to be considered again for induction when the committee meets on December 7, 2025.[71]
Mattingly has been honored by two minor league halls of fame. He was inducted in theSouth Atlantic League Hall of Fame in 1994 and theNew York–Penn League Hall of Fame in 2015.[72][73]
In 2001, Mattingly was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame;[74] his plaque displays his high school and professional careers. In 1987, he was named the American Legion Graduate of the Year, for his success in the major leagues following hisAmerican Legion Baseball career.[75]
Mattingly married Kim Sexton on September 8, 1979; they divorced after his playing career ended.[76] Mattingly and Kim share three sons: Taylor,Preston, and Jordon. Taylor was selected in the 42nd round (1,262nd overall) of the2003 Major League Baseball draft by the Yankees, and played in 24 games for theGulf Coast Yankees in the rookie league before an injury cut short his season. After sitting out all of 2004 and 2005, Taylor retired from baseball in 2005 after only 58 professional at bats.[77] Preston is thegeneral manager for thePhiladelphia Phillies.[78]
Mattingly married his second wife, Lori, on December 10, 2010, in his hometown of Evansville, Indiana. The wedding, and his managing thePhoenix Desert Dogs of theArizona Fall League, prevented him from attending the 2010 winter meetings.[79] In 2014, he and Lori had a son, Louis.[80]
Mattingly's older brother,Randy Mattingly, played quarterback at theUniversity of Evansville and was chosen by theCleveland Browns in the fourth round of the1973 NFL draft before playing in theCanadian Football League.[81]
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Don Mattingly was the owner of a restaurant in Evansville, Indiana, called "Mattingly's 23", after the uniform number he wore for most of his career.[82]
In 2005, Mattingly launched Mattingly Sports, a baseball and softball equipment company, based primarily around the patented V-Grip baseball and softball bats.[83]
Mattingly is the founder of Mattingly Charities, a nonprofit organization that serves underprivileged youth by supporting programs that promote baseball and softball participation in conjunction with other developmentally related activities.[84]
Mattingly appeared in a baseball-themed episode ofThe Simpsons, "Homer at the Bat", which originally aired on February 20, 1992. In the episode,Mr. Burns, the owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and the manager of its softball team, repeatedly demands that Mattingly trim hissideburns, leading Mattingly to protest that he had no sideburns, and to eventually shave much of his head. Burns, irate, cuts him from the team for defying his orders. As he departs, the exasperated Mattingly says to himself, "I still like him better than Steinbrenner."[85] In 1991, before the episode aired, but after it was produced, then-Yankees managerStump Merrill told him that until he cut his hair, he would not play. This was in accord with Yankee ownerGeorge Steinbrenner'sappearance policy requiring his players to maintain well-kept head and facial hair. Mattingly was sporting a longish ormullet-like hair style, and when he refused to cut it, he was benched.[86][87]
Mattingly has also appeared in public-service announcements airing on theSpike TV network advocating fathers spending time with their children as part of the "True Dads" campaign to encourage men to take an active role in their children's lives.[88]
Mattingly is referred to by name in several episodes ofSeinfeld. In one episode, his uniform pants split because they were made of 100% cotton at the behest ofGeorge Costanza.[89]
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