Mattingly Gets Two-Year Deal as Philadelphia Phillies Manager

Mattingly’s Interim Tag Is Gone

The Philadelphia Phillies announced today (10/14/26) that Don Mattingly’s “interim” tag has been removed, and the Evansville native has signed a 2-year deal to remain the team’s manager!

The only scene I remember from The Godfather Part 3 is when Pacino says, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” That’s what comes to mind when I think about Donnie Baseball’s career recently. Ha!

Mattingly's Career Spans Decades In Baseball

Jim McIsaac, Getty Images

Mattingly spent 14 seasons as a player for the New York Yankees, and more than 20 seasons as a big league coach and manager. At the end of the 2025 season, he decided to step away from the game – that decision lasted for about 10 minutes!

From Bench Coach To Skipper

Next thing you know, Mattingly is hired as a Philadelphia Phillies bench coach to start the 2026 season. Then, just 28 games into the season, the Phillies fire skipper Rob Thomson and name Mattingly the interim manager. I’d say that was the right move. Philly went 79-55 under Mattingly and grabbed a National League wild-card spot on the final day of the regular season. They came up just short, though, in the wild-card series against Atlanta.

Mattingly’s future with the team wasn’t a certainty after the season. The Phillies were reportedly going after Alex Cora, but were turned down. That cleared the way for Mattingly to get the permanent gig – and all of us here in Southern Indiana couldn’t be more excited for him!

Fun Facts About Evansville’s Most Famous Ball Player

• He was a team captain for the New York Yankees
• He was the American League MVP in 1985
• The Yanks retired his #23 jersey in 1997
• He was the National League Manager of the Year in 2020
• He has spent 37 seasons in the big leagues (14 as a player, and 23 as a coach/manager)

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Mattingly and Phillies team president Dave Dombrowski are scheduled to talk with reporters on Thursday.