Blue Jays lure Mattingly back as a bench coach
Don Mattingly was expecting to spend a summer at home with his family. A call from the Toronto Blue Jays convinced him to get back into baseball.
Mattingly, who left his job as Miami Marlins manager at the end of last season, is joining Toronto’s staff as bench coach to manager John Schneider, the team announced Wednesday.
Mattingly said he’d been contacted by multiple clubs with offers for 2023, but nothing interested him until Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins called to chat.
“Just the first conversation, it felt great, honestly,” Mattingly said on a video call Wednesday. “It piqued my interest right away.”
Mattingly managed against the Blue Jays in 2020 and 2021.
“Knowing the talent and seeing it, I know it’s a really good club,” Mattingly said. “You look at the combination of youth and experience, and an offense that can throw runs up. Over the last few years I’ve seen these guys. They throw runs up in a hurry. I think all the ingredients are there to win.”
The former New York Yankees slugger and sixtime All-Star joins the Blue Jays after seven seasons with the Marlins. Mattingly won NL Manager of the Year honors with Miami in 2020.
Before Miami, Mattingly won three division titles in five seasons as manager of the Dodgers. He also worked as hitting coach and bench coach for the Yankees, and as hitting coach of the Dodgers before his managerial stint in Los Angeles.
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That includes one scheduled for this morning against Christ Presbyterian Academy, meaning Dilfer would have to hustle back to Chattanooga after his introductory news conference.
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