Don Mattingly

Lore & Background

Mattingly's defensive excellence set a new standard at first base. He won nine Gold Glove Awards, a Yankees franchise record for first basemen, leading the AL in fielding percentage seven times. He retired with a career fielding percentage of .996, though he was not the all-time AL leader—others had tied or surpassed that mark before Mark Teixeira. His 1,634 games at first base then ranked tenth in AL history, his 1,104 assists ranked ninth, and his 1,500 double plays ranked fifth outright; his 14,148 putouts were the fifth most in the AL since 1940.

Congenital back problems forced him to miss part of the 1990 season and contributed to a decline in his power hitting. After being named the team's captain in 1991, he enjoyed a resurgence, leading the Yankees in RBI, hits, doubles, runs scored and batting average in 1992. Long frustrated by the team's failure to reach the postseason despite having the best record of any major league team during the 1980s, he helped lead the team to first place in 1994, batting .304, only to have the playoffs cancelled due to a work stoppage.

He finally reached the postseason in his final season in 1995, but New York lost the Division Series in five games although Mattingly batted .417 with a home run and four doubles, driving in go-ahead runs in three games. His veteran leadership and influence on a core of young players has been credited for helping propel the club to four World Series titles in the next five years.

Reader's Guide

Don Mattingly's tenure with the Yankees (1982–1995) is defined by remarkable consistency and defensive brilliance. He won the AL batting title in 1984 with a .343 average, then captured the AL MVP in 1985 after hitting .324 with 145 RBI, the highest total in the league in over 30 years. His 53 doubles and 388 total bases in 1986 were the highest totals by any major league player in the 1980s, and his 238 hits that season remain a Yankees franchise record. Defensively, he won a league-record nine Gold Glove Awards and led the AL in fielding percentage seven times. Despite never winning a World Series, his leadership as team captain from 1991 onward helped propel the club to four World Series titles in the five years after his retirement. His uniform number 23 was retired in 1997, making him the only Yankee to receive that honor without having won a World Series with the team.

Did You Know?

• Mattingly tied a major league record by hitting home runs in eight consecutive games in 1987.
• He set another record in 1987 by hitting six grand slams in one season.
• He is not the only Yankee to have his uniform number retired without winning a World Series with the team; Billy Martin (as a player) and others also did not win a World Series as players with the Yankees.