Phillies remove Don Mattingly’s interim tag, sign to two-year deal as next manager
Oct 1, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies Don Mattingly (8) walks to the dugout after removing starting pitcher Aaron Nola (not pictured) from the game against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning in game three of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Phillies have their 56th manager, and it is a familiar face.
The team announced on Wednesday morning that they have signed Don Mattingly to a two-year contract for the 2027 and 2028 seasons to be their next manager.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will meet with the media on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. from Citizens Bank Park. Mattingly will follow him at 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.
Mattingly becomes the first father/son manager/general manager duo in baseball history. Preston Mattingly, Don’s son, has been the Phillies’ GM since 2024.
Following Rob Thomson‘s dismissal after a 9-19 start on April 28, Mattingly was elevated from bench coach to interim manager and led the Phillies to an 80-57 record, including the playoffs. He did so with a cool, laid-back approach. Not every move he made was perfect, but he got the Phillies to the postseason, and they won a lot of games with him.
He now has the interim title removed just 13 days after the Phillies were eliminated in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card series to the Atlanta Braves.
After a near September collapse that almost saw the Phillies miss the postseason and a continuation of past October themes, the Phillies are doubling down.
“I feel like [Mattingly] did a great job for us,” Kyle Schwarber said following the Phillies’ elimination. “When we were in that tough spot, and I think he was able to get us to turn that page.
“I felt like his demeanor was just great for us. And he was able to get us to move on… Even when things got hard, the way that he was able to keep things at an even keel pace for us, I think that was huge for us to focus on a day at a time and a task on a time.”
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Mattingly was not the Phillies’ first choice.
They hired the 65-year-old baseball legend to be their bench coach. An extra opinion for Thomson to lean on. Mattingly made it clear when he came in that he had no interest in managing again. Well, 28 games in, he was writing the lineup card.
The Phillies never wanted him to be manager in April. He was the backup plan when former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora declined the offer. The Phillies reached back out to Cora after they were eliminated, and he once again declined to spend time with his family.
Perhaps with their hands tied due to the impending lockout on Dec. 2, the Phillies turn to continuity.
Mattingly will have at least 2027 to manage the Phillies. It is unclear if the coaching staff around him will change. He inherited the staff and could have a say in a transition.
“Just appreciate the effort of really everybody in the organization,” Mattingly said in Atlanta after Game 3. “From the training staff to the players, the coaches, just everything that they went through from really the start of spring training and preparing for spring training and, you know, getting through a season. A lot of time, a lot of work. Obviously it doesn’t end the way we want it to. If you don’t win the last game, it’s a crash landing no matter what.”
Mattingly has been around baseball for more than 40 years as a player, coach, and manager. He was a star first baseman for the New York Yankees, winning the 1985 AL MVP award and nine Gold Gloves. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011-15 and the Miami Marlins from 2016-22. He was the bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays for three seasons, where he came the closest he ever was to a World Series title in 2024.
He will have another shot in 2027 after what is expected to be a long and grueling labor dispute.
“I loved being in Philly this year,” Mattingly said. “Actually liked playing in that environment. I like the environment. It’s a rough environment, but it’s good.”
Benjamin Goldstein
Benjamin is a Sports Media major at Temple University and an aspiring sportscaster and journalist. Since 2017, he has covered Philadelphia sports as the founder, editor, writer, and podcast host of Philly Sports Reports. In addition, Benjamin is a freelance sports writer for The Temple News, a broadcaster and radio host on WHIP Radio. He previously interned with the WBCB Sports Network on 1490 AM for four years. Through his coverage and media work, he has had the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and has been recognized as KYW Newsradio’s Philadelphia Sports Fan of the Week.
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