Phillies commit to Dan Mattingly as full-time manager after temporary swing

Dan Mattingly's interim tag will be removed as Philadelphia Phillies commit to the veteran manager after a stunning 73-45 turnaround.

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The Phillies are committed to Don Mattingly.

The Phils fired Rob Thompson in the middle of the season and hired Donny Baseball on an interim basis.

With Mattingly in the clubhouse, the Phillies turned their season around but narrowly escaped a late-season slump, losing to the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild card series.

But the Phillies must have liked what they saw, Mattingly removed the interim tag and was hired full time. He signed a two-year contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Of course, it should be noted that Mattingly's son, Preston, is the general manager of this team.

The Phillies were 9-19 when they fired Thomson, and Mattingly's Phillies went 73-45 over their next 118 games, but lost five of their last 15.

Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly stands in the dugout during a game against the Atlanta Braves at Troist Park in Cumberland, Georgia, April 26, 2026. (Dale Zanin/Images)

Philadelphia will be the third team that Mattingly has managed, along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins. Mattingly was the bench of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2023 to the 2025 season but stepped down shortly after missing the World Series.

Mattingly has been in professional baseball since 1979 and has yet to win a World Series championship - the 2025 Fall Classic was the first in which he appeared.

The Phillies core of Bryce Harper, Trey Turner and Kyle Schwarber are going nowhere, while Aaron Nola and Christopher Sanchez are under contract for several more years.

Philadelphia has had an open window this decade, as Harper wins his second MVP in 2021. But they missed the World Series in 2022 and have since bounced back, losing in the 2023 NLCS, the 2024 and 2025 NLDS and this year's Wild Card.

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