It is extremely rare for a New York Yankees legend not to have a World Series title to their name or not to have played at least once in the Fall Classic. But there are exceptions and among the most notable is Don Mattingly, who spent his entire playing career with the Bronx Bombers and never made it to the final of the best baseball in the world.
Mattingly debuted with the Yankees in 1982 and spent 14 seasons in the Big Apple, coincidentally years in which the most successful team in history went through one of its worst streaks and only reached the postseason once.
But his bad luck did not end there, as he was also unable to succeed with the Dodgers and Marlins, teams he managed for 12 years, nor in the 17 seasons he worked as a coach with other teams.
In total, it has been 43 years of drought for Mattingly, one of the most refined first basemen of his generation. As a player, he won nine Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, a batting title in 1984 and the MVP award in 1985, as well as six All-Star selections.
No Evil Lasts 100 Years
After so long, the prize has finally arrived for Don Mattingly, who is part of the current Blue Jays coaching staff, the 2025 season finalists. This year, after 32 years of waiting, Toronto will once again experience the sensations of a World Series, now against the favored Dodgers.
Mattingly will experience for the first time in his long career the energies and tension of a World Series, the stage that everyone wants to be part of in the baseball universe. His opportunity has come after two seasons as bench coach for the Blue Jays, where he also worked for a time as offensive coordinator, overseeing the tasks of the hitting coaches.
During the last two years he has been very close to manager John Schneider, of whom he has been one of his main advisors in the second golden age of the franchise after its glorious coronations in 1992 and 1993.
“To finally get to a World Series feels great, maybe relief, I don’t know, but it’s a great feeling to get there,” Mattingly said in a recent interview with NBC.
Finally reaching a World Series feels great, maybe relief.
Regarding the matchup against the Dodgers, he predicted that the small details and actions will define the series: “It will be more about who is able to get guys on base, get big hits, execute pitches and make plays.”
Mattingly’s curse in detail
Don Mattingly had a brief stint with the Yankees in 1982, just one year after the team lost the World Series to the Dodgers. However, the first baseman’s explosion did not come until 1984, when he led the American League in hits (207), doubles (44) and batting average (.343), as well as driving in 110 runs.
In 1985 he again led the circuit in doubles (48) and increased his production to 145 RBIs, which, together with his defensive performance, allowed him to win the Most Valuable Player award. His career continued with good performance until 1995, when he finally decided to hang up his spikes.
In 1995, his only postseason appearance came, but the Yankees were eliminated in the Division Series against the Mariners in five games. Mattingly gave his best (six RBIs, 10 hits and a 1.148 OPS), but could not prevent the Yankees’ defeat.
After his retirement, Mattingly worked as a special instructor for the Yankees at their spring training camps from 1997 to 2003. From a distance, he watched the successes of a dynasty that won three consecutive World Series between 1998 and 2000.
By 2004, just a year after falling in the crown discussion against the Marlins, Mattingly was called up to the first team as a hitting coach. Although he participated in some postseasons, he never advanced to the World Series. The same thing happened to him later as a coach with the Dodgers (2008-2010) and mentor of the Los Angeles organization (2010-2015) and the Marlins (2016-2022).
In his career as a manager, Mattingly recorded 889 wins and 950 losses, a record tarnished mainly by his time in Miami, where he went 443-587. With the Dodgers, however, he won 446 games, lost 363 and advanced to the postseason three times, twice being eliminated in the Division Series and once in the Championship Series. With the Marlins, he also fell once in the playoffs (2020), but it meant the organization’s return to this stage after its 2003 title.
Read the full article here
