"That coach is Don Mattingly, currently the Blue Jays bench coach, but a former manager and player who has been involved in the game at the major league level since 1982. On a recent episode of Locked On MLB, host Paul Francis Sullivan, pointed out how Mattingly's entire career has been encapsulated by heartbreaking near-misses, never getting to sip that championship champagne."
"Mattingly was a star for the Yankees during his playing days. He was someone who put up consistently good numbers over 14 seasons all spent in the Bronx as the Yankees primary first baseman from 1982-1995, but those years were bookended by two Yankees trips to the World Series and the last one ending in a championship. Mattingly was drafted in the 19th round of the 1979 MLB Amateur Draft and made his debut in '82 - a seven game cameo for the Yankees."
"Mattingly was a six-time All -Star who led the league in hits on two separate occasions, as well as leading the league in doubles three times. He drove in a league high 145 RBIs in 1985, won the batting title in '84 with a .343 average and had the best SLG (.573), OPS (.967) and OPS+ (161) in '86. But the Yankees never finished higher than second in this era where you had to win your division to get to the playoffs."
Don Mattingly is the Toronto Blue Jays bench coach, a former major-league manager and player with continuous MLB involvement since 1982. His career has been defined by near-misses and the absence of a World Series championship. Mattingly spent 14 seasons as the Yankees' primary first baseman (1982–1995) after being drafted in the 19th round in 1979 and debuting in 1982. He missed the 1981 World Series appearance and then endured 13 seasons without playoffs. Mattingly was a six-time All-Star who twice led the league in hits, led in doubles three times, drove in 145 RBIs in 1985, won the 1984 batting title, and posted elite slugging and OPS marks in 1986.
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