Happy birthday Donnie Baseball!
BRONX, N.Y. —On this date in 1961, Donnie Baseball was born. Born in Evansville, Indiana, Donald Arthur Mattingly spent parts of 14 seasons playing primarily first base for the New York Yankees.
Selected in the 19th round of the 1979 draft, Mattingly played in pinstripes from 1982 to 1995.
Mattingly, whose No. 23 was retired in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium in 1997, remains a fan favorite of the Bronx faithful to this day.
In 1984, Mattingly edged teammate Dave Winfield for the AL batting title. Donnie Baseball followed that campaign by earning the 1985 AL MVP. Mattingly finished second the following season to Roger Clemens but was by far the best hitter in the junior circuit.
A six-time All-Star and nine-time gold glove winner, Mattingly served as the 14th captain in franchise history from 1991-1995.
Mattingly had tough luck with timing in the Bronx, on teams with no pitching and no wild card from the mid-'80s to the early '90s, plus a strike which wiped out the end of the 1994 season. Yet, Mattingly was able to prove himself on the big stage, batting .417 against the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 ALDS.
After his playing days, Mattingly served as hitting coach and bench coach under Joe Torre, from 2004 to 2007. Mattingly moved with Torre to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008, where he coached and later managed from 2011 to 2015. Following the 2015 season, Mattingly took over the Miami Marlins managing gig where he remains to this day.