Phillies Manager Don Mattingly on Whether He’s Open To Staying Past This Year

Don Mattingly has done well as the Philadelphia Phillies' interim manager, but does he want this to become a full-time gig?

Jul 7, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Don Mattingly stands in the dugout before the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the Philadelphia Phillies got off to a 9-19 start this season, they fired Rob Thomson as their manager and appointed Don Mattingly as their interim manager.

This isn't exactly Mattingly's first rodeo. He was the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011 to 2015 as they started to transform from a dormant laughingstock to a perennial contender under the ownership of Mark Walter. After the Dodgers fired Mattingly in 2015, he took the helm of the Miami Marlins in 2016, and after seven disappointing seasons, he left.

He came to Philly as a bench coach in January, and the team has done well since he took over. Before Wednesday's loss to the Cincinnati Reds, he said he would like to remain as manager past this season, per NBC Sports Philadelphia.

“Oh, I would do it,” Mattingly said. “I kind of committed myself to two years with the Phillies when I came over. So, whatever [president of baseball operations] Dave [Dombrowski] wants to do in that regard. But yeah, I think I would like to do it.”

Don Mattingly has earned having interim tag removed

Philadelphia Phillies manager Don Mattingly (8) seeks clarification on a call in the eighth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. The Reds lost 4-1 to the Phillies. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Since Mattingly took over, Philadelphia has gone 42-23, which is a very strong record, and despite dropping a couple of ugly games in recent days, it is closing the gap on the Atlanta Braves. It now trails the Braves by three games in the race for first place in the National League East.

Since the start of June, the team's offense has picked up a bit. The season-ending injury to right fielder Adolis Garcia, a two-time All-Star and former Gold Glove winner, has created a major void on defense, but the Phillies have been surviving in the meantime, and there is always the possibility of a trade going down that would fill that hole at least somewhat.

On Wednesday versus Cincinnati, the Phillies scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the second inning on a triple by Justin Crawford and a wild pitch that allowed Crawford to then touch home plate. But the Reds scored a total of seven runs in the third and fourth innings, and just like that, the Phillies were in a hole they could not dig themselves out of.

This loss was another reminder that the team's pitching staff needs some sort of significant upgrade in order to get to the next level. The addition of a bona fide starter there or a viable relief pitcher would go a long way in making Mattingly want to remain in place after this year.

Regardless, fans across the Delaware Valley region seem to support "Donnie Baseball," and the results his team has produced over the last couple of months seem to back up that sentiment.

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