Then-Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly smiles after throwing a ball to fans before a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Oct. 1, in Milwaukee.Jon Durr/The Associated Press
Don Mattingly has a five-month-old Labradoodle named Bo. He also has a shortstop with the same name within his reach as the Blue Jays bench coach.
It is to be hoped that Bo Bichette will be easier on him than the rambunctious puppy that is currently wrecking Mattingly’s home in Evansville, Ind.
“My wife calls him a mental-heath dog, but I’m not sure that’s what he is right now,” Mattingly said Wednesday on a Zoom call with journalists after Toronto announced he had been hired.
The 61-year-old long-time Yankees first baseman had been the manager of the Miami Marlins since 2016 but opted not to return to the club for the 2023 season.
“I wasn’t really looking for a job heading into the winter,” Mattingly said. “I really thought I’d be home.”
Then Mattingly, who had previously spurned offers from several other major-league teams, received a call from Ross Atkins, the Blue Jays general manager.
“I was pretty surprised,” Mattingly said. “I hadn’t thought about Toronto at all. But my first conversation with Ross and his thoughts about what I could bring to the table piqued my interest.”
In his role, Mattingly will serve as the right-hand man to manager John Schneider, who was promoted to permanent manager from interim this fall.
Mattingly said that he and Schneider had a number of lengthy conversations and that he would never have accepted the position if Schneider expressed reservations.
“John’s role was the most important to me,” said Mattingly, who also managed the Dodgers for five seasons. “I loved the conversations we had early on. He had to be 100 per cent with me or I never would have done it.
“He is totally organized and knows what he wants to do. I am here to support him in everything. I’m not much on the ego side. I am here to humble myself and help the players and the team.”
Mattingly concluded his 14-year playing career in New York in 1995. He won one American League batting title, was the most-valuable player another time, was chosen to six all-star teams, won nine Gold Glove Awards, and served as the captain for five seasons. He is the only player in Yankees history to have his number retired without having won a World Series.
He served as both a hitting coach and bench coach in New York and Los Angeles before taking on managerial roles.
“It was great getting to know Don throughout this process and we are very excited about the experience he brings with him, from the variety of roles he has had over the years,” Schneider said in a statement released by the Blue Jays. “The organization and I are looking forward to his impact on the players and staff, as we look ahead to an exciting 2023 season.”
Schneider replaced Charlie Montoyo as Toronto’s manager midway through the 2022 season. At the time the team was struggling to stay above .500. It went 42-26 the rest of the way and captured the top wild-card spot before it was swept in two playoff games by Seattle.
“I know it is a really good club,” Mattingly said. “They throw runs up in a hurry, their pitching is there, they are the whole package. The team in general has had success and is ready to move on. It’s a great environment.”
Mattingly rose to become one of the best first basemen in Yankees history despite being a 19th-round draft pick who, as self described, “Couldn’t throw, couldn’t run and didn’t have power. I had to work my way up through the minor leagues.”
Besides having a Labradoodle named Bo, he has another curious Canadian connection. His older brother, Randy, played quarterback for three seasons in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“Toronto is very cool,” Mattingly said. “As a city, it has always been interesting for me. I have always preferred big cities and I liken it to New York and always loved how clean it is. It has always been good for me.”
He said that when the Blue Jays came calling he didn’t try to sell himself.
“I just wanted to be myself,” he said. “As a coach you draw upon the interactions you have had. You use everything that has come across your plate. In my mind I am back as a servant. I’m here to help. It’s not about me.”