Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly spoke openly Thursday about his desire to remain in the dugout beyond this season, confirming reports that had emerged a day earlier from ESPN.
Mattingly addressed reporters and left little doubt about where he stands. “I like doing it,” he said. “I didn’t come here to do it, but I actually like doing it. I committed to two years, right? And, in my mind, I told Dave (Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations), ‘I’d go two years.’ Right? So at that point you make a commitment with your family and what’s going on with everything that you’re going to do this for two years. So if that’s something that Dave wanted me to do then I’m fine with it.”
Mattingly originally joined the Phillies organization as bench coach. He had previously managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011 to 2015 and the Miami Marlins from 2016 to 2022 before stepping into the interim role on April 28, when Rob Thomson was let go.
At the time Mattingly took the reins, Philadelphia was sitting 10.5 games out of first place in the National League East. Since then, the team has gone 42-23 under his leadership and trimmed that gap to just three games behind the Braves heading into Thursday.
Mattingly’s playing career was equally distinguished. He spent 14 seasons with the New York Yankees from 1982 to 1995, finishing with a .307 batting average, 222 home runs, and 1,099 RBIs across 1,785 games. He was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1985.
On the managerial side, Mattingly earned National League Manager of the Year honors in 2020 with Miami. His overall regular-season record as a manager stands at 931-973, with a 10-14 mark in the playoffs. He led the Dodgers to the 2013 NLCS and three additional NLDS appearances.
Adding a family dimension to the story, Mattingly’s son Preston has served as the Phillies’ general manager since 2024, working alongside Dombrowski in the front office.
