When the Philadelphia Phillies made the stunning decision to move on from manager Rob Thomson in April, they already had an ideal interim option waiting in the dugout: Don Mattingly. After stepping away from the Toronto Blue Jays following their World Series run, where he served as John Schneider’s bench coach, Mattingly joined Philadelphia’s staff without much fanfare.
No one could have predicted what would follow. After stumbling to a disappointing 9-19 start, the Phillies front office, led by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, decided a major shakeup was necessary. Sitting 10 games under .500 so early in the season forced the organization’s hand.
Managerial firings in April are almost unheard of around MLB. Yet Thomson became the second skipper dismissed during the month, joining Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora in a pair of shocking moves. For Philadelphia, however, the gamble is quickly looking like the right call. All-Star slugger Kyle Schwarber made it clear he believes Mattingly has sparked the Phillies’ turnaround.
Philadelphia Phillies Star Kyle Schwarber Doesn’t Beat Around the Bush About Don Mattingly
On Saturday, the Phillies blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-0, improving to 14-4 under Mattingly while securing their fifth consecutive series victory with him in charge. In just three weeks, Philadelphia has surged from the bottom of the National League East into second place. Schwarber was direct when discussing Mattingly’s impact.
“When they make the decision to make the change, you look at Donnie and the resume, that he played at such a high level and managed some good teams,” Schwarber said to the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham. “He knows what it takes. There were no drastic changes in what we’re doing. We know the group we have and what we’re capable of. We needed to start playing better, no matter who the manager was.”
And play better they certainly have. Winning 14 of their first 18 games under Mattingly shouldn’t be entirely shocking considering the experience he brings. Following his legendary playing career, Mattingly managed both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins, recently recording the 900th managerial win of his career. What has impressed Schwarber most is the confidence Mattingly has already instilled in the clubhouse.
“But with him at the helm and having trust in us, there’s going to be some different things we’re going to try to do,” Schwarber added. “There’s a lot of trust in him, and he has trust in us.”
Philadelphia Phillies Making Move Up Standings With Talented Roster
One of the biggest frustrations during Philadelphia’s miserable 9-19 opening stretch was that the roster still possessed plenty of talent. While losing left-hander Ranger Suárez to the Red Sox in free agency hurt, the Phillies retained much of the core that has delivered success in recent years.
Veterans such as Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Trea Turner continue to anchor the lineup, while Zack Wheeler remains one of the club’s most reliable arms. Over the course of a demanding 162-game season, every contender needs to capitalize on momentum swings, and the Phillies are finally doing exactly that.
Philadelphia currently sits eight games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and 4.5 games out of the final National League wild-card spot. With it still being only mid-May, there is more than enough time to climb back into the postseason race. No matter how the year ultimately unfolds, one thing is already obvious: Mattingly has completely captured the clubhouse, and that kind of leadership carries major value in today’s MLB.