It didn’t seem like an ideal match, and that’s what made it so magical. The Yankees brought in this power-shy first baseman from Evansville, Ind., stuck him at first base and then watched what happened. Darn it if Don Mattingly didn’t go out and charm an entire borough.
Mattingly didn’t play first base from 1983-95 as much as he played Yankee Stadium. You want to talk about adulation? There have been love affairs in New York, but rarely this unconditional.
The promise came from the start. In his first full season, Mattingly hit .343, winning the 1984 batting title. In 1985, he pounded 35 homers, drove in 145 runs and won the AL MVP. Doc Gooden said that Mattingly had “that look that few hitters have.” And so he became in icon, his mustache earning rock-star status, his long hair flapping out from under his helmet like a biker. Donnie Baseball? He might have been born in Indiana, but he was ours now.
Scary thing was, Mattingly kept getting better. In 1986, he set club records for doubles (53) and hits (238). In 1987, he set league records for consecutive games with a homer (eight, tied with two others) and grand slams in a season (six). He also won five straight Gold Gloves from 1984-89 (nine overall), gobbling up first base like a vacuum cleaner.
In 1990, he finally began to decline due to back problems, but if the injuries dimmed his star, they couldn’t touch his reverence. Did it even matter that on Feb. 28, 1991, the Yankees made Mattingly just the 10th captain in team history? Maybe, but all it really did was make official what everybody already knew to be sacred – Mattingly had been the leader, the captain, the heart of the Yankees for years.
The one thing Mattingly couldn’t do? Lift the Yankees to the postseason. At least until 1995, when the team took the wild card, drawing Seattle in the first round. Mattingly hit .417 in the five games.
On Aug. 31, 1997, Mattingly’s No. 23 was retired. His bronze plaque unveiled, the last line reading, “A Yankee forever.” Donnie Baseball stepped to the microphone, heard the roaring fans and admitted, “I don’t know what I did to deserve this.”
Funny thing – to everybody else, it couldn’t have been more clear.
STATS
Yankee Record: 238 Hits in 1986
