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Don Mattingly’s impressive turnaround has earned All-Star honors, as Philadelphia hosts the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.
Since naming Don Mattingly the interim manager, the Philadelphia Phillies are 25-11. The club has climbed out of the basement and is now one of the top teams in the National League.
Mattingly adds one more honor to an impressive 2026 season. The Phillies interim manager will join Dave Roberts’ staff for the All-Star Game, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. He, along with the Cardinals‘ Oli Marmol, will be the two non-Dodger coaches on the staff.
Phillies Interim Manager Don Mattingly Named to All-Star Game Coaching Staff
This will be the third time that Mattingly gets to coach in an All-Star Game. His previous two opportunities came in 2004 as a hitting coach under Joe Torre and in 2015, when he was the Dodgers manager. Bruce Bochy, who won the previous World Series with the San Francisco Giants, invited Mattingly to his staff.
Typically, it’s customary for the All-Star Game manager to add the host team’s manager to his staff. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is honoring that tradition, with the Phillies hosting this year’s All-Star Game. It also creates another link between Roberts and his predecessor with the Dodgers.
Mattingly could have quite a few of his current players on the All-Star Game roster. Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, Jhoan Duran, Brandon Marsh, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber could represent the Phillies in front of their home crowd.
With the addition of Mattingly and Marmol to the coaching staff, all three frontrunners to the National League Manager of the Year Award should be in Philadelphia. Roberts has navigated rotation and bullpen injuries to keep the team on track for a postseason bye. Mattingly and Marmol are authoring the best turnarounds in MLB this season.
Don Mattingly’s Tenure with the Phillies
Despite being the Toronto Blue Jays‘ bench coach the past three seasons, Mattingly left the club after their World Series trip. The Phillies quickly hired the former Dodgers and Marlins manager, as his son (Preston) is the current general manager. His purpose was to provide a veteran presence on the staff under Rob Thomson.
However, the Phillies’ embarrassing playoff failures, followed by a 9-19 start, led to Thomson’s dismissal on April 28. Mattingly was named the interim manager, and the club hasn’t looked back.
FanGraphs gave Philadelphia a 37.5% chance to make the playoffs when Mattingly was hired. That has since doubled to 71.6% over their last 36 games.
As of June 7, the Phillies hold the second Wild Card spot, trailing just Marmol’s Cardinals in that race. Since April 28, the club is second in MLB for pitching fWAR (6.8). Only the Milwaukee Brewers have matched the Phillies’ 25 wins over that time period, albeit in one fewer game.
While the division might be out of play, as the Atlanta Braves hold an 8.5-game lead, the Phillies should be in good shape to capture a Wild Card spot. The only question will be if they’ll be hosting the round or going on the road. If the club finishes the year with the No. 4 seed, it gives Mattingly the narrative necessary to win Manager of the Year.
