Don Mattingly

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Mattingly's defensive excellence set a new standard at first base. He won a league-record nine Gold Glove Awards, leading the AL in fielding percentage seven times, also a league record. He retired with the highest career fielding percentage (.996) in league history, since broken by 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 were tied for fifth; 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.

In Their Own Story

In 1987, Mattingly tied a major league record by hitting home runs in eight consecutive games, and later that year set another record by hitting six grand slams in one season. The following year, he was runner-up for the MVP award after batting .352, leading the AL in hits, doubles, slugging percentage and total bases; his 53 doubles and 388 total bases were the highest totals by any major league player in the 1980s, and his totals of doubles and 238 hits remain Yankees franchise records. After batting over .300 seven times, Mattingly retired with a career average of .307, then the sixth highest among major league players with at least 5,000 at bats since 1960. The Yankees retired his uniform number (23) in 1997, making him the only Yankee to have his number retired without having won a World Series with the team.

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.
• His 53 doubles and 388 total bases in 1986 were the highest totals by any major league player in the 1980s.
• He is the only Yankee to have his uniform number retired without having won a World Series with the team.
• Mattingly won a league-record nine Gold Glove Awards and led the AL in fielding percentage seven times.