Don Mattingly Has Earned the Job in Philadelphia

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Don Mattingly Has Earned the Job in Philadelphia

Originally posted on Anubis Sports | By Jason Meyers | Last updated Aug 31, 2026 5:35 PM ET

Don Mattingly has earned the job in Philadelphia. Since taking over as interim manager in April, he has guided the Philadelphia Phillies to the second-best record in Major League Baseball. The team is on a streak, and with the postseason firmly in sight, it’s a promising sign that could inspire confidence in fans and supporters alike.

After a disastrous 9-19 start to the season, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski fired manager Rob Thomson and promoted bench coach Mattingly to captain the club. With the Hitman at the helm, the team has turned the season around and appears poised to secure a Wild Card in the National League. Despite this success, Phillies ownership still seems unconvinced that Mattingly is the man going forward, leaving fans and analysts curious about what’s next.

Dombrowski has indicated that unless the Phillies win it all, the search for a manager will continue. Alex Cora, a long-time favorite and collaborator in Boston when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2018, is high on the wishlist. In fact, less than 24 hours after being ousted as the Sox’s manager on April 25th, Dombrowski reached out to Cora to offer him the same position with his team. The former MLB infielder declined, citing his desire to spend more time with his family. Mattingly was the fallback option.

Don Mattingly Is Not The Issue

The Phillies are a win-now team. With the league’s 4th-highest payroll and several high-profile players under contract, the front office remains steadfast that the time is now to bring home the Commissioner’s Trophy. Their long-term strategy, however, involves balancing immediate success with roster flexibility. This is complicated by major long-term deals that limit options for managerial stability and roster depth.

Big-name players like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Aaron Nola, and Kyle Schwarber plunge the Phils into luxury tax purgatory. Ownership can’t keep paying overage penalties, leaving them handcuffed when it’s time to bolster the roster for a playoff push. The team has relied on one-year contracts for aging veterans and trade deadline fliers. Their farm system is another casualty, consistently ranked toward the bottom of the league.

Enter Mattingly, who’s sparked a major turnaround following the team’s woeful start. What changed? With Preston Mattingly as the Phillies’ general manager, it is the first father-son tandem to lead a club in MLB history. Dombrowski remains the front-office authority, but the family dynamic is hard to overstate. The Don has injected leadership and earned player trust since the start of his tenure.

All-stars Harper and Schwarber carried the load in the early months of the season, with the rest of the lineup producing throughout the summer to drive the Phillies into contention. The starting rotation, led by standout performances from Nola and Wheeler, has anchored a surging pitching staff. It’s safe to say that Mattingly changed the club’s culture: Their record says so. Why the hesitation to commit to him for the future remains a mystery.

Give Donnie His Due

As the New York Yankees’ iconic first baseman, No. 23 was the league’s best player for much of the 1980’s, and the sole reason to root for the Bronx Bombers for much of that time. He was that generation’s Mickey Mantle and idolized by millions. In 2026, he’s inspired an underperforming ballclub and brought them back from the brink of a lost season. Mattingly has earned the job – and a permanent contract. For the City of Brotherly Love, it’s time to show some to Donnie Baseball.

This article first appeared on Anubis Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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