Don Mattingly

From BR Bullpen

Donald Arthur Mattingly (Donnie Baseball)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Reitz Memorial High School
• Debut September 8, 1982
• Final Game October 1, 1995
• Born April 20, 1961 in Evansville, IN USA

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[edit] Biographical Information

1984 Donruss

Don Mattingly,now manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is considered by many to be the greatest Yankee player to never appear in the World Series. He played his entire career with the New York Yankees, making his debut in 1982. In 1984, he led the American League with a .343 batting average, and in 1985, he was the American League Most Valuable Player. Mattingly hit over .300 each season between 1984 and 1989. He was also an excellent defensive first baseman, winning nine Gold Gloves in his career. He has been on the Hall of Fame ballot since 2001, but his support has hovered around 15% only. In 2012, it reached a peak of 17.8%, still well below the total that would make him a serious candidate for election, with his time on the ballot running out.

Mattingly was originally signed as a 19th round pick in the 1979 amateur draft by the Yankees and scouts Jax Robertson and Gus Poulos. In 1987, Mattingly tied Dale Long's record, set in 1956, hitting a home run in eight consecutive games (Ken Griffey Jr. later also tied this mark in 1993). Mattingly was the only one of the three players with more than 8 home runs during the streak - he had 10. Mattingly also set a record of 6 grand slams in 1987 (the only 6 slams of his entire career) which was tied by Travis Hafner of the 2006 Indians.

Mattingly's career was cut short by chronic back problems, and he played his final major league game in 1995. Ironically, the Yankees reached the World Series the season before Mattingly's debut and the season after his final game. The Yankees also reached the World Series in 2003, the year before Mattingly returned as a coach. Mattingly did get a taste of post-season play in 1995 in the AL Divisional Series. He made the most of it, hitting .417 (10-for-24), with 4 doubles, a home run and 6 RBI's. After three seasons at the Yankees batting coach, he became the team's bench coach in 2007. After being passed over for the open manager's position following Joe Torre's departure, he decided not to return to the team in 2008 and joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, Torre's new team. However, he renounced the position in January, citing family issues that required him to be present at his Indiana home. Mattingly reclaimed the job from Mike Easler at the All-Star break.

Mattingly was involved in an unusual incident on July 20, 2010, in a game featuring three ejections, including that of Torre. Mattingly was acting for his boss as Dodgers manager in the 9th inning, when he called a conference on the mound after closer Jonathan Broxton had loaded the bases against the San Francisco Giants while trying to protect a 5-4 lead. After giving his instructions to his players, he began to walk off the mound when 1B James Loney asked him a question; he returned to the mound to answer him, and rival manager Bruce Bochy argued successfully that this constituted a second visit to the mound, forcing Mattingly to remove Broxton from the game, and replace him with the struggling George Sherrill, who had not warmed up. However, the umpires, led by Adrian Johnson, also erred on the play: Mattingly should have been ejected for delaying the game, and Broxton allowed to finish pitching to batter Andres Torres, during which Sherrill should have begun to warm up. Instead, Sherrill had only eight pitches to get ready, and Torres hit a bases-clearing double for a 7-5 Giants win.

Mattingly was named Torre's successor as Dodgers manager for the 2011 season, after Torre announced his retirement.

Don lives in Evansville, IN during the offseason. His brother, Randy Mattingly, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 4th round of the 1973 NFL draft, then played in the CFL from 1974 to 1976. Don has three sons. His oldest son Taylor Mattingly was drafted by the Yankees in the 42nd round of the 2003 amateur draft. His middle son, Preston Mattingly, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1st round of the 2006 amateur draft.

Mattingly appeared in The Simpsons episode "Homer at the Bat". He was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

[edit] Notable Achievements

• 6-time AL All-Star (1984-1989)
• AL MVP (1985)
• 9-time AL Gold Glove Winner (1985-1994)
• 3-time AL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1985-1987)
• AL Batting Average Leader (1984)
• AL Slugging Percentage Leader (1986)
• AL OPS Leader (1986)
• 2-time AL Hits Leader (1984 & 1986)
• 2-time AL Total Bases Leader (1985 & 1986)
• 3-time AL Doubles Leader (1984, 1985 & 1986)
• AL RBI Leader (1985)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 5 (1984-1987 & 1989)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1985, 1986 & 1987)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 5 (1984-1987 & 1989)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1985 & 1986)
• 200 Hits Seasons: 3 (1984, 1985 & 1986)

[edit] Year-By-Year Managerial Record

[edit] Records Held

• Grand slams, season, 6, 1987 (tied)

[edit] Further Reading

• Don Mattingly (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget," Baseball Digest (November 1992), pp. 61-62

[edit] Related Sites

• The Official Don Mattingly Website!
• The (Un) Official Don Mattingly Tribute Site!