Don Mattingly reached deep into his playbook Monday night and pulled off a bold, unconventional move that ultimately worked.
By the end of the game, the Philadelphia Phillies had closer Jhoan Duran — at least theoretically — sitting in the No. 3 spot of the batting order. To make that happen, they willingly gave up the designated hitter so they could finish their win over the Cincinnati Reds with the defensive alignment they wanted.
It’s not something you see very often, especially in the modern game where the DH is used full-time in both leagues and lineup decisions are usually far more straightforward. But on this night, Mattingly needed some creativity to push the Phillies across the finish line.
The sequence began in the bottom of the eighth inning with Philadelphia trailing by one run. Mattingly sent Garrett Stubbs in as a pinch-runner for first baseman Alec Bohm. The move paid off immediately, as the Phillies rallied for two runs and took a 5–4 lead.
That rally created a new problem. With Bohm out of the game, the Phillies needed someone to play first base. Bryce Harper, who had been serving as the designated hitter, was the best option. When a DH enters the field, however, the team automatically forfeits the DH for the rest of the game. From that point forward, the pitcher’s spot becomes part of the batting order.
It was a calculated gamble. If Duran shut the door in the ninth, the lineup would never reach the pitcher’s spot anyway. And if things went sideways, Mattingly could always pinch-hit for the pitcher, just as managers did for decades before the DH became universal.
Seeing a box score with a closer technically lined up to hit is still jarring. But strange as it looked, the decision made sense. It was a rare move — and on this night, it was the right one.