BASEBALL
Mattingly, Marlins parting ways
MIAMI -- Don Mattingly will not be back as manager of the Miami Marlins next season, he said Sunday, announcing that he and team officials have decided a new voice is needed to lead the club going forward.
Mattingly's contract expires when the season ends. He said he met with Marlins principal owner Bruce Sherman and General Manager Kim Ng to talk about the future, and that "all parties agreed" that it's time for a change.
"I am proud and honored to have served as manager of the Marlins for the past seven years and have enjoyed my experiences and relationships I've developed within the organization," Mattingly said. "I look forward to spending time with my family in Evansville (Ind.), and to any future endeavors."
Mattingly, the club's all-time leader by a wide margin in managerial wins, is finishing his seventh season with the Marlins. After Sunday's 6-1 loss to Washington, he owns a 437-584 record in Miami, with one winning season in those seven years -- a 31-29 mark in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when the team made its first playoff appearance since 2003.
And it means that a season that started with a big shakeup for Miami now ends with another. In February, Hall of Famer Derek Jeter -- who had been Miami's CEO, the first Black person in baseball history to hold that role with a franchise -- announced a surprise departure after 4 1/2 mostly unsuccessful years that didn't come remotely close to matching his success as a player for the New York Yankees.
Now comes the Mattingly move, which means someone else will be in charge when the team gathers for spring training.
"Donnie is one of my favorites," Washington Manager Dave Martinez said Sunday. "We go way back, played against him. He's just a really good baseball man. I love him to death. I learned a lot from him, watching and competing against him for many years."
The 61-year-old Mattingly has managed for 12 seasons, the first five with the Los Angeles Dodgers. All five of those clubs had winning records, three of them making the playoffs.
Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, July 10, 2022, in New York. Mattingly will not be back as manager of the Marlins next season, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Mattingly’s contract expires when the season ends and he and the team have agreed that a mutual parting is best for both sides, according to the person, who spoke Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022 to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there had been no public announcement. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
FILE - Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly looks on before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Sept. 17, 2022, in Washington. Mattingly will not be back as manager of the Marlins next season, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Mattingly’s contract expires when the season ends and he and the team have agreed that a mutual parting is best for both sides, according to the person, who spoke Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022 to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there had been no public announcement. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)