Interim manager Don Mattingly has guided the Philadelphia Phillies to a Major League Baseball-best 24-10 record since taking over the dugout in May 2026, propelling the club back into the National League playoff race.
According to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, the Phillies also achieved the best starting staff ERA in the majors at 2.79 over that span.
Mattingly assumed the role after long-time skipper Rob Thomson was dismissed following a slow start by the team.
Emotional Return to Toronto
On Monday, June 8, 2026, Mattingly returned to the Rogers Centre for a series against Toronto, marking his first visit since losing Game 7 of the World Series to the Dodgers in November 2025 as the Blue Jays' bench coach.
He remained in the dugout briefly to absorb the conclusion of his first career World Series appearance before being approached by shortstop Bo Bichette, who later departed for the New York Mets in free agency.
"I usually get out of the dugout after a game, but that one I just kind of watched, took it in, and then Bo came over," Mattingly stated.
The current Phillies skipper reflected on the intense psychological impact of competing at the highest level of postseason baseball.
"What I learned: It's hard to get there; it's hard to move through each round," Mattingly said.
He emphasized that the sudden conclusion of a championship run brings an identical sense of disappointment regardless of the postseason round.
"Just emotional, right? If you're the team that doesn't get the last out, it's a crash.
No matter if it's at that level or it's the first round. That feeling is the same," Mattingly explained.
Despite the painful loss, Mattingly expressed immense satisfaction with the effort put forth by the Toronto roster during their pennant pursuit.
"But once you get away from that, from last year's standpoint, you really are proud of the team, right?
What they were able to accomplish, the guys that are in there, and you feel for those guys, and they kind of laid their hearts out there," Mattingly noted.
Lessons from Past Roles
Mattingly explained that he integrates structural and strategic lessons from all his previous managerial and coaching stints, including Miami, Los Angeles, and working under Joe Torre.
"I think a lot, the way Schneids does things, and the way Toronto actually does things," Mattingly said in reference to Blue Jays manager John Schneider.
He noted that observing managerial styles provides clarity on both successful strategies and practices to avoid during games.
"But I can say the same from everywhere.
From Miami, I can say the same from LA, I could say the same from being around Joe Torre with his staff.
So you're always taking. I always try to take from everyone, good or bad.
Take the bad, and know that that's not what you want to do, right? So I'm taking all the time," Mattingly stated.
Familiarity with the Toronto roster has aided Mattingly with game-planning compared to facing unknown clubs like the White Sox.
"It's a little less having to totally go through a club you don't know anything about," Mattingly said.
However, he maintained that advanced scouting reports do not diminish the fundamental execution required on the diamond.
"Like a lot of the White Sox guys we just got done playing, there was a lot of new faces that I hadn't seen play before.
It makes me more comfortable.
I don't know if it makes it easier, but I definitely kind of know who these guys are, in a sense, and how they use them.
But you still got to get outs, and make plays, and all that kind of thing," Mattingly concluded.
For the upcoming game against Toronto, Zack Wheeler (5-1, 2.31 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Phillies against Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease (3-3, 3.05 ERA), who returns from the injured list.
