Don Mattingly’s work in Philadelphia has put the Phillies in the postseason, but it still may not be enough to lock down the job full time.
The club’s turnaround has been real. At one point this season, the Phillies were sitting at 9-19 and carrying the worst run differential in baseball.
That start cost Rob Thomson his job, even after he had put together a string of winning seasons in Philadelphia. The Phillies explored other options after that, including a run at Alex Cora after he was shockingly let go by the Boston Red Sox, before turning to Mattingly as interim manager.
The change took hold quickly. Since taking over, Mattingly has guided the Phillies to a 79-55 record, even with a 9-14 finish to close things out.
John Middleton pointed to that stretch as a 95-win full-season pace and didn’t hide his appreciation for what Mattingly did. “Pretty damn good,” he said.
Good enough to remove “interim” from Mattingly’s title? “That’s Dave (Dombrowski)’s decision,” Middleton said.
That answer says plenty about where things stand. Mattingly helped steady the season and get Philadelphia into October, but the job security piece is still unsettled.
If the Phillies had missed the playoffs, the path forward would likely have been much clearer. Instead, they’re in, and the door remains open.
Philadelphia opens postseason play against the Atlanta Braves in a three-game series, needing just two wins to move on. That makes the next step immediate and straightforward on paper, even if the broader questions around the dugout are not.
And those questions aren’t going away because Alex Cora remains part of the conversation. The Phillies showed interest in him earlier in the year, and that interest is still hanging over Mattingly’s future.
So while Mattingly has done enough to make the season a success, the final judgment may depend on how far this team goes in October. In a National League that leaves little room for easy paths, that’s no small ask.
In Other News...
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Lourenco did respond to some of the criticism, but his later comments were taken by many fans as dismissive, which only deepened the backlash. For a fan base that is usually quick to defend the look and feel of its ballpark, the exchange has become about more than a deck sign, with the tone of the response now drawing as much heat as the rebrand itself. [Read more 🡒]
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Phillies Rookies Just Made The Playoff Push Feel Bigger
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For a club built to chase a deep run, the rookie presence adds another layer to the story. These are not just extra bodies on the bench or in the bullpen, but players who helped the Phillies get here and now get to experience the postseason for the first time together. Their celebration reflected how much the moment meant, even if the bigger challenge is still ahead and the real test of what they can handle is only beginning. [Read more 🡒]