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You are purchasing a 2021 Panini Chronicles Asencion auto card #AA-DM of Don Mattingly serial numbered 3/10. The card has his auto signed in a crisp blue sharpie authenticated by Panini America. Mattingly is pictured in front of an abstract tie dye like design. His name and the bottom lines are etched in gold foiling. As an added bonus, you will receive a 2017 Panini Diamond Kings card #91 of “Donnie Baseball”. These cards are an absolute must have for any Don Mattingly, New York Yankees or any “Donnie Baseball” collector/fan/investor!

Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly (born April 20, 1961) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees (1982–1995). After his playing career, he also served as a hitting coach for the Yankees and Dodgers prior to taking on his current position as manager of the Dodgers.

A graduate of Memorial High School in Evansville, Indiana in 1979, he led the Tigers to a state record 59 straight victories through the 1978-79 season. In 1978 the Tigers were crowned State Champions and were State Runners-up in 1979. Don was the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude recipient in 1979. He was All-City, All-SIAC (Southern Indiana Athletic Conference), and All State in both 1978 and 1979. During the four years he played in high school the Tigers compiled a 94-9-1 won – loss record and Don hit .463. He still holds Memorial records for hits (152); doubles (29): triples (25 - also the state record); RBIs (140); and runs scored (99).

Following this outstanding career, Don accepted a scholarship to play baseball for the Indiana State Sycamores and Coach Bob Warn. However, after being drafted by the Yankees, Don decided to begin his professional career.

Professional career

In the minors, Mattingly batted .349 in 1979, .358 in 1980, and .316 in 1981. He was hitting .315 for Triple-A Columbus when he made it to the majors late in the 1982 season, fulfilling a personal goal of never spending more than one season at any level in the minor leagues.

Mattingly spent his official rookie season of 1983 as a part-time first baseman and outfielder, waiting for a full-time spot in the lineup to open up. He played well, hitting .283 in 279 at-bats, but with little power.

Slugger Steve Balboni was the favored organizational prospect at first base, but it became apparent in 1982-83 that Balboni was too prone to striking out and that his ranging right-handed swing was not suited for the Yankee Stadium. Mattingly quickly surpassed Balboni on the team's depth chart, and Balboni was traded to the Kansas City Royals in 1984.

Mattingly became the Yankees' full-time first baseman and an MVP candidate. He hit .343 and beat out teammate Dave Winfield in a close race for the American League batting title with a 4-for-5 game on the last day of the season. Mattingly also led the league with 207 hits. He developed a power stroke, slugging a league-leading 44 doubles to go with 23 home runs. He was 2nd in the league in slugging percentage (.537) and at bats per strikeout (18.3), 4th in total bases (324), 5th in RBIs (110), 6th in sacrifice flies (9), and 10th in on base percentage (.381). He also batted .400 with runners in scoring position.

Mattingly followed up his breakout season with a spectacular 1985, winning the MVP award in the American League. He batted .324 (3rd in the league) with 35 home runs (4th), 48 doubles (1st), and 145 RBI (1st), then the most RBIs in a season by a left-handed major league batter since Ted Williams drove in 159 in 1949. His 21-RBI lead in the category was the most in the American League since Al Rosen's RBI title of 1953. He led the league in sacrifice flies (15), total bases (370), and extra base hits (86), and was 2nd in the AL in hits (211) and slugging percentage (.567), 3rd in intentional walks (13) and at bats per strikeout (13.9), 6th in runs (107), and 9th in at bats per home run (18.6). He batted .354 with two out and runners in scoring position. Also in 1985 Mattingly was the first farm-grown Yankee to lead the club in homers since Bobby Murcer did it from 1970 to 1973.

Mattingly was also recognized in 1985 for his defense, winning his first of nine Gold Glove Awards. He was considered such an asset defensively that Yankees management assigned him to play games at second base and third base early in his career, even though he was a left-handed thrower. Mattingly appeared as a left-handed throwing second baseman for one-third of one inning, during the resumption of the George Brett "Pine Tar Incident" game in 1983. He also played three games as a left-handed throwing third baseman during a five-game series against the Seattle Mariners in 1986.

Mattingly did just as well in 1986, leading the league with 238 hits, 53 doubles (which broke Lou Gehrig's single-season franchise record of 52 in 1927), 388 total bases, and a .573 slugging percentage. He also batted .352 (2nd in the league), hit 31 home runs (6th) and drove in 113 runs (3rd). However, he was easily beaten in the American League MVP voting by pitcher Roger Clemens, who also won the Cy Young Award unanimously that year.

In 1987, Mattingly tied Dale Long's major league record by hitting home runs in eight consecutive games (record later tied again by Ken Griffey, Jr., of Seattle in 1993), as well as stroking an extra base hit in ten consecutive games. Mattingly had a record 10 home runs during this streak (Long & Griffey had eight of them). Also that season, Mattingly set a major league record by hitting six grand slam home runs in a season, a record matched by Travis Hafner during the 2006 season.

In 1987, he finished with a .327 batting average, 30 home runs, and 115 RBIs, his fourth straight year with at least 110 RBIs. Between 1985 and 1987, Mattingly hit 96 home runs with just 114 strikeouts.

Mattingly made his major league debut in 1982, the year after the Yankees lost the World Series. The team did not reach the postseason in any of Mattingly's first 13 years, although they arguably would have made the playoffs in 1994, when the player's strike ended the season prematurely with the Yankees having the best record in the American League.

In 1995, Mattingly finally reached the playoffs when the Yankees won the AL wild card on the next-to-last day of the season. In the only postseason series of his career, facing the Seattle Mariners, Mattingly batted .417 with 6 RBI and a memorable go-ahead home run in Game Two, his final game at Yankee Stadium. In the final game of the series (and of his career), Mattingly again broke a tie with a two-run double. The New York bullpen faltered and Seattle won in the 11th inning of the decisive Game Five. The Yankees acquired Tino Martinez to succeed Mattingly after the 1995 season. Unsigned for the 1996 season, Mattingly decided to sit out for the year, and rebuffed an inquiry by the Baltimore Orioles, who tried to sign him at midseason. Mattingly officially announced his retirement in January 1997.

For his career, Mattingly never appeared in the World Series, and his tenure with the Yankees marks the team's largest drought without a World Series appearance. The Yankees made the series both the year prior to Mattingly's rookie year, 1981, and the year after his last with the club, 1996.

Coaching and managing career

Mattingly as hitting coach with the New York Yankees

New York Yankees (2004–2007)

After retiring as a player, Mattingly spent seven seasons as a special instructor during Yankees' spring training in Tampa, Florida from 1997 through 2003. Following the 2003 season, the Yankees named Mattingly the hitting coach. He spent three seasons in that role, receiving much praise from the Yankees organization and his players. Under Mattingly, the Yankees set an all-time franchise record with 242 home runs in 2004. After the 2006 season, Mattingly shifted to bench coach, replacing Lee Mazzilli.

After the 2007 season, Mattingly was a finalist for the Yankees' manager position, after Joe Torre declined a one-year contract extension, along with Joe Girardi and Tony Peña. The Yankees offered the managerial position to Girardi, who accepted.

Los Angeles Dodgers (2008–2015)

After not being offered the position of manager for the Yankees, Mattingly joined Torre with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the team's hitting coach. On January 22, 2008, Mattingly was replaced as hitting coach, citing family reasons, instead serving as major league special assignment coach for the Dodgers in 2008. Mattingly succeeded Mike Easler as Dodgers' hitting coach that July. The Dodgers were the National League Runner-up in 2008 and 2009 (losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in both National League championship series), largely behind the bat of mid-season acquisition Manny Ramirez.

Mattingly with the Dodgers

In the 2009–10 offseason, Mattingly was a finalist for the managerial position with the Cleveland Indians, for which Manny Acta was eventually hired. When Torre decided to retire at the end of the 2010 season, Mattingly was announced as his replacement. To acquire some managerial experience, Mattingly managed the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League in 2010.

Mattingly made his managerial debut on March 31, 2011 by defeating in-state rival and defending champion San Francisco Giants 2–1 at Dodger Stadium. Despite the background of a bitter divorce battle between Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt and his wife that put the fiscal health of the Dodgers into jeopardy, Mattingly managed to take the Dodgers to a winning record that season due to his mentorship of many young players such as MVP candidate Matt Kemp and Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw: "He's so positive", Kershaw said. "All he asks of us is just go out there and play the way we're supposed to. Do things the right way on the field, and he's happy with you. When it's simple like that, it's easy to play for, and it's fun to play for."

In 2013 Mattingly and the Dodgers got off to a rough start due to various injuries and were in last place in May, leading to much media speculation that he would soon be fired. However, once players got healthy the team went on a tear and managed to win the NL West and beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS in four games. They then lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS in six games. After the season, Mattingly called out Dodger management for its perceived lack of support of him during the season and said that he wanted a multi-year contract in place in order to return in 2014. Mattingly finished second in the voting for National League Manager of the Year.

Mattingly stated that one of his managerial idols was Tony La Russa. Mattingly admired La Russa from his playing days with the Yankees in the late 1980s. LaRussa had managed the dominant Oakland Athletics teams of the era. Mattingly recalled that despite the A's superiority to the Yankees, they still played intensely.

On January 7, 2014, Mattingly and the Dodgers agreed on a three-year contract extension for him to remain as manager of the Dodgers. On September 29, 2015, Mattingly became the first manager in the history of the Dodgers franchise, in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles, to lead the team to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. The Dodgers lost in five games to the New York Mets in the National League Divisional Series.

On October 22, 2015, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mattingly mutually agreed to part ways, and he stepped down from his position in Los Angeles with one year left on his contract. He had a 446–363 record with the Dodgers, with a winning percentage of .551, which was second best in Los Angeles Dodgers history. He finished with a post–season record of eight wins and 11 losses and was the first manager in franchise history to guide the team to three straight post-season appearances.

Miami Marlins (2016–present)

In fall of 2015, Mattingly signed a four-year contract to manage the Miami Marlins. Mattingly led the Marlins to win 79 games in his first year (the most wins for the team since winning 80 in 2010) which had him place fifth in the final voting for NL Manager of the Year. In 2020, Mattingly led the Marlins to the NL Wild Card, leading them to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. He also won the NL Manager of the Year award. On July 8, 2021, Mattingly’s mutual option for the 2022 season was picked up by both him and the Marlins.

International career

Mattingly managed the MLB All-Star Team at the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series.

Managerial record

As of games played on July 11, 2021

Team Year Regular season Postseason

Games Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result

LAD 2011 161 82 79 .509 3rd in NL West – – –

LAD 2012 162 86 76 .531 2nd in NL West – – –

LAD 2013 162 92 70 .568 1st in NL West 5 5 .500 Lost NLCS (STL)

LAD 2014 162 94 68 .580 1st in NL West 1 3 .250 Lost NLDS (STL)

LAD 2015 162 92 70 .568 1st in NL West 2 3 .400 Lost NLDS (NYM)

LAD total 809 446 363 .551 8 11 .421

MIA 2016 161 79 82 .491 3rd in NL East – – –

MIA 2017 162 77 85 .475 2nd in NL East – – –

MIA 2018 161 63 98 .391 5th in NL East – – –

MIA 2019 162 57 105 .352 5th in NL East – – –

MIA 2020 60 31 29 .517 2nd in NL East 2 3 .400 Lost NLDS (ATL)

MIA 2021 89 39 50 .438 – – –

MIA total 795 346 449 .435 2 3 .400

Total 1,601 791 810 .494 10 14 .417

Legacy

Don Mattingly's number 23 was retired by the New York Yankees in 1997.

Mattingly finished his career with 2,153 hits, 222 home runs, 1,007 runs scored, 1,099 RBI, and a .307 lifetime average. He is commonly cited as the best Yankee player to have never played in a World Series. His career had bad timing, as the Yankees lost the World Series the year before he broke into the big leagues and they ended up winning the World Series in the first year of Mattingly's retirement, not to mention the Yankees had the best record in the American League in 1994 before the strike. This World Series drought (1982–1995) was the longest in Yankees history since the start of the Babe Ruth era and it was worsened by the player's strike in 1994, which ended a promising chance for a World Series title.

Buck Showalter, Mattingly's last manager during his playing days and a former teammate in the minor leagues, attributed Mattingly's calmness to the controversies he was subjected to during his time with the Yankees.

The Yankees retired Mattingly's number 23 and dedicated his plaque for Monument Park at Yankee Stadium on August 31, 1997. The plaque calls him "A humble man of grace and dignity, a captain who led by example, proud of the pinstripe tradition and dedicated to the pursuit of excellence, a Yankee forever."[49] Additionally, his uniform number with the Double-A Nashville Sounds (18) was retired by the team in a ceremony at Herschel Greer Stadium attended by Mattingly on August 12, 1999.

Hall of Fame voting

Mattingly's retired number in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium

Mattingly was on the Hall of Fame ballot from 2001 to 2015, never getting enough votes for induction. In his first year, he received 145 votes (28.2%), but this steadily declined; by 2009, only 12% of voters still put him on their ballots. In 2015, Mattingly's eligibility expired after fifteen attempts. He had been grandfathered onto the ballot after the committee restricted eligibility to ten years.

Mattingly has been honored by two minor league Halls of Fame. He was inducted in the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame in 1994 and the New York–Penn League Hall of Fame in 2015.

In 2001, Mattingly was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame; his plaque displays his phenomenal high school and professional career. In 1987, he was named the American Legion Graduate of the Year, for his success in the Major Leagues following his American Legion baseball career.

Personal life

Preston Mattingly with the Class-A Great Lakes Loons

Mattingly married Kim Sexton on September 8, 1979; they are now divorced. They have sons: Taylor, Preston, and Jordon. Taylor was drafted in the 42nd round (1,262nd overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Yankees, and played in 24 games for the Gulf Coast Yankees in the rookie league before an injury cut short his season. After sitting out all of 2004 and 2005, Taylor retired from baseball in 2005 after only 58 professional at bats. Of his eldest son, Don observed: "He loved the game, not the lifestyle."

Preston was chosen in the supplemental round (31st overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers and was rated as a B- prospect in John Sickels' 2007 Baseball Prospect Book. Sickels noted, "Position a question but has promising tools and bloodlines." Preston was traded to the Cleveland Indians on September 26, 2010, just nine days after his father was announced as the manager of the Dodgers for the 2011 season. He was subsequently released by the Indians at the end of spring training, and re-signed with the Dodgers. On January 11, 2012, the Yankees signed Preston to a minor league contract but they released him again on March 27. Preston then attended Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. He was from 2014 to 2015 a starting guard for the Lamar Cardinals basketball team, an NCAA Division I program in the Southland Conference.

Mattingly remarried on December 10, 2010, in his hometown of Evansville, Indiana. The wedding, as well as his managing the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League, prevented him from attending the Fall 2010 Winter Meetings.

Mattingly's older brother, Randy Mattingly, played quarterback at the University of Evansville and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 1973 NFL Draft before playing in the Canadian Football League.

Business ventures

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Don Mattingly was the owner of a restaurant in Evansville, Indiana, called "Mattingly's 23", after the uniform number he wore for most of his career

In 2005, Mattingly launched Mattingly Sports, a baseball and softball equipment company, based primarily around the patented V-Grip baseball and softball bats.

Mattingly is the founder of Mattingly Charities, a non-profit organization that serves underprivileged youth by supporting programs which promote baseball and softball participation in conjunction with other developmentally related activities.

In popular culture

Mattingly appeared in a baseball-themed episode of The Simpsons, "Homer at the Bat". In the episode (originally aired on February 20, 1992), team owner Mr. Burns repeatedly demands that Mattingly trim his sideburns, even though Mattingly has no sideburns (and in fact wonders if Mr. Burns even knows what sideburns are). A confused Mattingly returns with 1/3 of his head shaved from one ear over the top of the head to the other. The irate Burns cuts him from the team because he would not "trim those sideburns!" As he departs, the exasperated Mattingly says to himself, "I still like him better than Steinbrenner."

Coincidentally, in 1991, before the episode aired but after it was produced, then-Yankees manager Stump Merrill told him that until he cut his hair, he would not play. This was in accord with Yankee owner George Steinbrenner's policy requiring his players to maintain well-kept head and facial hair. Mattingly was sporting a longish or mullet-like hair style, and when he refused to cut it, he was benched.

Mattingly has also appeared in public service announcements airing on the Spike TV network advocating fathers spending time with their children as part of the "True Dads" campaign to encourage men to take an active role in their children's lives.

Mattingly is referred to by name in several episodes of Seinfeld. In one episode, his uniform pants split because they were made of 100% cotton at the behest of George Costanza.

Mattingly appeared as a guest artist on Christian recording artist Matt Felts album, Based on a True Story. Mattingly lends his voice on a song entitled "The First Baseball Game."

Retirement

Mattingly finished his career with 2,153 hits, 222 home runs, 1,099 RBI, and a .307 lifetime average. He is commonly cited as the best Yankee player to have never played in a World Series. His career had bad timing, as the Yankees lost the World Series the year before he broke into the big leagues and they ended up winning the World Series in the first year of Mattingly's retirement. This World Series drought (1982–1995) was the longest in Yankees history since the start of the Babe Ruth era and it was worsened by the player's strike in 1994, which ended a promising chance for a World Series title.

The Yankees retired Mattingly's number 23 and dedicated his plaque for Monument Park at Yankee Stadium on August 31, 1997. The plaque calls him "A humble man of grace and dignity, a captain who led by example, proud of the pinstripe tradition and dedicated to the pursuit of excellence, a Yankee forever."

Career highlights and awards

6× All-Star selection (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989)

9× Gold Glove Award winner (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994)

3× Silver Slugger Award winner (1985, 1986, 1987)

1985 AL MVP

1993 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award

New York Yankees team captain (1991–1995)

New York Yankees #23 retired

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