The 49-second video played in the middle of the fifth inning Wednesday on the scoreboard looming over center field at loanDepot park. It began with then-Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill draping a jersey over Don Mattingly as he was introduced as the organization’s manager in 2016. It continued to highlight Mattingly’s seven years with the Marlins — capped with him running in front of his celebrating team on the field at Yankee Stadium after they clinched a playoff berth in the 2020 season.
“I liked the slide at the end,” Mattingly said with a smile.
Mattingly watched and reflected from just beyond the home dugout, with his family by his side, as he received an ovation from the announced crowd of 12,195 there for his swan song.
When the game finally ended, a 12-9 Marlins win, the final celebration began.
Mattingly hugged every member of his coaching staff in the dugout before being greeted by his players. Sandy Alcantara gave one of the final embraces, an ace saying goodbye to the manager who believed in him. Dylan Floro, who recorded the save, handed Mattingly a baseball.
And then Mattingly looked behind home plate, where his soon-to-be 8-year-old son Louis was waiting to jump into his arms.
After seven years, Mattingly’s tenure as Marlins manager has come to an end. It wasn’t always easy and there were far more lows and disappointments than times to celebrate.
“There’s been a lot of moments,” Mattingly said.
Wednesday was the final moment. Mattingly and the Marlins took the time to soak it all in before they went their separate ways, with Mattingly pondering his next steps and the Marlins preparing for what should be a busy offseason as they try to get their rebuild in order after five mostly unsuccessful seasons.
‘Emotional’ final day
Mattingly came into the day knowing his journey with the Marlins had come to an end. He and the Marlins had mutually agreed on Sept. 25 that neither side would seek a contract extension.
But that didn’t make the day any easier.
“It’s emotional,” Mattingly said pregame. “I don’t think I’m gonna cry, but yeah, there’s a lot of emotions that go through my mind.”
And it extends beyond Mattingly personally. It goes through to his family — specifically his wife Lori and youngest son Louis, who has spent basically his entire life only knowing his dad as the manager of the Miami Marlins. The day of reflection began over breakfast before heading to the ballpark.
“You’re somewhere for seven years, right?” Mattingly said. “You build relationships, and you’re going in a different directions and you’re not part of that anymore. It’s so emotional from different levels. From my kids to the cats in the back [of my house] that I’m not going to feed.”
Mattingly, however, knew the time had come to move on.
“You try to follow your heart,” Mattingly said on Sept. 25 when he and the Marlins announced the decision that he wouldn’t return next season. “That’s what I do. You know what’s inside of you and you try to be deliberate and let things work through.”
His players still feel his impact.
A common thread: Mattingly instilling confidence in his players and making sure they knew they could maximize their potential.
Shortstop Miguel Rojas, whose relationship with Mattingly predates their time together in Miami, called Mattingly his “father in baseball.”
Pablo Lopez, who played for Mattingly for five seasons, credited Mattingly for teaching him how to be accountable and appreciated that he was “always going to have your back if he saw that you’re trying to improve.”
“He supported us all year,” catcher Jacob Stallings said, “so it stinks to see him go, but I think it makes it a little easier on the players knowing that he’s excited for the next chapter.”
Never got ‘over the hump’
But in the end, emotions go to the side when it comes to comes to business decisions.
Mattingly ends his time in Miami as the Marlins’ longest tenured manager. He has a 443-587 record in his 1,030 games as Miami’s manager — the total games, wins and losses all franchise records.
Miami had a winning record in just one of Mattingly’s seven years — the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when the Marlins overcame a COVID-19 outbreak at the start of the season to finish 31-29, reach the playoffs for just the third time in franchise history and sweep the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-3 wild card round before being swept by the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series.
That, Mattingly said, is probably the biggest aspect of his tenure he regrets the most.
“I just think the fact that we haven’t really gotten over the hump. In my mind, I came here to kind of bring stability and continuity to this seat really. I really wanted to leave sustainability where the minor leagues are in a good spot, the major leagues are in a good spot. The culture was where it should be for the organization to be successful. Obviously, there’s outside factors to that and what’s happened here over the course of that time. A lot of changes, and mostly above me. That’s the part I regret that I haven’t been able to accomplish.”
While Mattingly couldn’t accomplish the goal, he remains optimistic that whoever takes over as the Marlins’ next manager has a chance to do so.
“I think this thing can very easily turn really quickly,” Mattingly said. “Obviously with the pitching staff, it gives you a chance. ... We have the foundation of being able to compete. That should be something that was hopeful for the organization moving forward.”
Next steps undetermined
Mattingly has come to terms with this chapter of his career ending. He likened this transition to his one after his 14-year playing career came to an end.
“I was 34 or 35 when I walked away from playing in the same type of way where you don’t really know what’s going to happen at that point,” Mattingly said. “It’s probably a lot different now. I was 35 and now I’m 61. It feels different, but it feels the same. I know that I’ve been through that time where you’re home and you’re not on a schedule anymore.”
As for what’s next? That’s to be determined.
He plans to still be involved in baseball in some capacity but wants to take time to mull everything over.
“My process was pretty nice,” Mattingly said. “Not rushing into anything and [being] thoughtful with it. Just kind of following your feelings. I took my time with it. I don’t feel like it’s the end of really anything. I mean, it’s the end of what I’m doing right now in this position. I don’t know what’s going to happen or what door opens or what road I take.”
