Phillies Keep Don Mattingly as Manager on Two-Year Deal

The Philadelphia Phillies ended weeks of speculation Wednesday, confirming that Don Mattingly will stay on as manager on a two-year contract. Team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced the move, removing the interim tag Mattingly carried since taking over in late April and handing the club to a steady, familiar hand.

Mattingly's case for the job is the turnaround itself. When the Phillies fired Rob Thomson — who had delivered four straight playoff appearances, including the 2022 World Series, plus consecutive NL East titles — the team was a disastrous 9-19. Under Mattingly, Philadelphia went 79-55 and reached the postseason, though a late collapse nearly cost them a playoff spot and they were swept by the Atlanta Braves in three games in the NL Wild Card Series, ending their season on October 1.

Notably, the Phillies were rebuffed twice in their search for an alternative: former Red Sox manager Alex Cora turned down the job both when Thomson was fired and again after the season. The 65-year-old Mattingly, hired last offseason as a bench coach with another year remaining on that deal, now gets his chance to finish what he started with a roster featuring Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber. He and Dombrowski will address the media at Thursday's end-of-season press conference.