Nothing short of a World Series was supposed to save Don Mattingly’s career as the Philadelphia Phillies’ manager. So, the general consensus after the Phillies exited the playoffs in the NL Wild Card Series was that Mattingly was walking. But the organization’s latest move has proved all those assumptions false. Ahead of the offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies have confirmed that Don Mattingly will return as the team’s manager in 2027.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
According to the franchise’s official handle on X, “The Phillies have signed Don Mattingly to a two-year contract for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.”
Don Mattingly came through for the Phillies after the franchise fired Rob Thomson following a 9-19 start. The 65-year-old manager was the Phillies’ bench coach before they promoted him to interim manager. Mattingly helped the Phillies to turn their season around.
Under him, the Phillies went 79-55 and entered the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season. However, the team needed all 162 regular-season games to secure a postseason berth. Following their 4-3 win in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series, the Phillies forced a third game against the Atlanta Braves. However, the Braves beat them 6-2 to end their playoff run.
Following another early postseason exit, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, offered the managerial position to Alex Cora first. Dombrowski had given Cora the same offer in April as well, when he fired Thomson. But the former manager declined.
Cora was fired by the Boston Red Sox in April this year.
After Cora turned down Dombrowski’s offer for a second time, the Phillies offered the same to Mattingly. The veteran manager accepted the position.
“I’m comfortable with whatever they want to do,” Mattingly told the reporters before he became manager.
With Preston Mattingly as the GM and Don Mattingly as the new manager, they became the first official father-son manager-GM combination, per Bob Nightengale.
Dave Dombrowski will hold his end-of-season presser on Thursday morning. He will also address Mattingly’s appointment as the Phillies’ manager.
Alongside Mattingly, two more interim managers were appointed in MLB this season:
Andy Green of the New York Mets and Chad Tracy of the Red Sox. Both teams have removed the interim tags and promoted them to managers.
As for the Phillies, Mattingly brings his 23 years of coaching/managing experience to the organization.
The MLB veteran served as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager from 2011 to 2015 before joining the Miami Marlins (2016-2022). In 2020, Mattingly helped the team reach their first playoffs since 2003. He was also named the NL Manager of the Year in 2020. Before joining the Phillies, Mattingly served as the Toronto Blue Jays’ bench coach during their 2025 World Series run.
Mattingly’s managing career is preceded by his career as a New York Yankees player.
Out of the 14 seasons he spent in New York, Mattingly served 5 as the Yankees’ captain. He was named an All-Star six times and won the AL MVP in 1985.
Meanwhile, before Mattingly takes the helm of the Phillies in 2027, the organization has announced a shakeup among the coaching staff.
They have fired veteran hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson on Wednesday, per Jim Salisbury of NBCS Philadelphia.
The 59-year-old hitting coach joined the Phillies in 2022 and has been with the organization ever since. His contract with the Phillies ran through the 2028 season. Working for the Yankees, Mets, Nationals, and the Phillies, Long has gathered 20 years of experience as a hitting coach.
Dickerson served as the Phillies’ infield coach in 2019 and later from 2022 to 2026. His dismissal is part of the Phillies’ broader defensive overhaul.
According to The Athletic, under Dickerson, “The Phillies permitted a .274 batting average on ground balls in 2026; only the A’s were higher. The league average against was .249.”
The Phillies will reportedly focus on a more data-oriented approach next season.
With the Phillies’ postseason results gradually declining each year after their 2022 World Series appearance, Don Mattingly certainly has his work cut out for him.