Phillies Interim Manager Don Mattingly Receives Major Praise for Job Done

The Philadelphia Phillies have underwent a remarkable turnaround under interim manager Don Mattingly.

May 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly (8) reacts in the dugout before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies have made the Major League Baseball playoffs in each of the last four years and reached the World Series in 2022.

But despite possessing bona fide stars such as Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Zack Wheeler, they started 9-19 this season and were in definite trouble.

That is when the organization decided to fire then-manager Rob Thomson. It then promoted Don Mattingly, who had joined the Phillies just months ago as a bench coach, to interim manager.

The results thus far have been impressive. After Saturday's 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia has a 53-43 record and trails the first-place Atlanta Braves by just two games in the National League East. That means it has gone 44-24 since exiling Thomson.

Don Mattingly has done great job leading Phillies

Jul 6, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) calls to the bullpen during the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jayson Stark of The Athletic (subscription required) just penned an article in which he named who he thinks deserves notable MLB honors at this point in the season.

He wrote that Mattingly deserves National League Manager of the Year honors at this point, and he pointed out that Mattingly is working the same kind of magic that the former New York Yankees star performed as the Los Angeles Dodgers' manager years ago.

"When Mattingly took over the Phillies on April 28, they were 10 games under .500 and 10 1/2 games out of first place," Stark wrote. "A little over two months later, they’ve somehow made it to 10 games over .500 and only three games out of first place.

"But if Mattingly had that déjà vu feeling when he was handed this (interim) job, there’s a good reason. Back when he managed the Dodgers, his 2013 team was 9 1/2 out of first in June, and his 2014 team was 10 out the next June … and, amazingly, both finished first."

Mattingly last won the NL Manager of the Year award in 2020 when he guided the Miami Marlins to a 31-29 record and an appearance in the division series of the playoffs. He was at the helm of the Marlins from 2016 to 2022, and before that, he was the Dodgers' manager from 2011 to 2015.

The Dodgers, of course, have been baseball's foremost powerhouse for over a decade. Before Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and current manager Dave Roberts powered them to the last two World Series championships, Mattingly helped transform them from a longtime doormat into a perennial playoff squad.

Don Mattingly has proven perfect man for the job in Philadelphia

Jun 23, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) on the field against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When this year's Phillies had their problems early in the season, they were struggling to put the ball into play. But their bats started to wake up after Mattingly was promoted, and they batted a respectable .266 in the month of June, which helped them go 18-9 during that time.

"According to Baseball Reference’s Kenny Jackelen, only one manager has brought his team back from at least 9 1/2 games behind to finish first two seasons in a row. Yep, Don Mattingly. And only two other managers had two seasons like that in their whole careers: Bobby Cox (1991 and ’93 Braves) and Sparky Anderson (1973 Reds, 1987 Tigers).

"Could Mattingly make it three? If he does, I like his chances of having to nudge his Gold Glove, MVP and Manager of the Year trophies over a tad — to make room for one more Manager of the Year trophy on that shelf."

It would greatly help Mattingly and crew if Philadelphia pulls off a trade or two to upgrade its lacking pitching staff, whether that means acquiring a starting or relief pitcher who can be relied upon to consistently put up strikeouts on the board.

But for now, "Donnie Baseball" has his team flying relatively high, and he seems to have the overwhelming support of Philadelphia sports fans.

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