Don Mattingly Returns to Miami as Phillies Manager
MIAMI — Former Marlins manager Don Mattingly returns to Miami as the interim manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Mattingly (2016-2022) was the longest tenured manager in Marlins history. While it wasn’t the most successful stint, it was certainly the most eventful. Mattingly’s first season with the Marlins in 2016 started with high expectations, but ended with the tragic off-field death of beloved pitcher Jose Fernandez. Mattingly remained during a period of ownership turnover and managed the Marlins’ first MVP (Giancarlo Stanton, 2017) and Cy Young Award winner (Sandy Alcantara, 2022). He also won the National League Manager of the Year in 2020, when he led the Marlins to their third-ever postseason appearance during a COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season.
Mattingly, 65, was hired by the Phillies as a bench coach to start this season and became the 57th manager in club history after Rob Thompson was fired after a 9-19 start. Unlike previous stops in his managerial career, there is a family aspect in Philadelphia, as the general manager is also his son, Preston.
The Phillies have responded well to Mattingly’s promotion. Philadelphia swept the San Francisco Giants at home including a doubleheader in which the Phillies won both games by walk-off, which hasn’t happened since 2004.
Marlins making batting average sexy again
The Marlins enter the series with three hitters among the National League’s top 10 in batting average. Second baseman Xavier Edwards is second in the National League with a .336 batting average and has played in every game for the Marlins this season. The other two Marlins on the list are shortstop Otto Lopez (.332, 4th) and catcher Liam Hicks (.315, 8th).
“Getting hits in the big leagues is hard,”Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “It’s probably never been harder just to get a base hit than it is right now. For us, it’s an important thing. You make a lot of contact.”
McCullough not only sees Edwards’ season as not only reminiscent of his 2024 breakout (.328 in 70 games) before his tenure, but also as an improvement.
“He’s not selling out for anything. He’s in a really good place with his swing, his contact points, where he’s firing at,” McCullough said. “We’ve seen him drive some balls with authority a little differently than in the past.”
What’s astounding about this trio is that all three of them arrived in Miami as low-key acquisitions. Edwards was a throw-in in a trade with Tampa Bay for reliever JT Chargois leading up to the 2023 season. Lopez was a waiver claim in 2024, and Hicks was a Rule 5 draft pick leading up to last season.
“They all make a ton of contact and they have the ability to hit the ball to all fields,” McCullough said. “To collect a lot of hits, though batting average isn’t looked at how it used to be. But I think guys who hit for high average, generally I do think you have to be able to hit the ball at all fields.”
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