Don Mattingly retired as an active Major League Baseball player after the 1995 season. So it’s been 27 years since he’s taken the field with a glove or bat.
A generation of baseball fans only know Mattingly as a manager, leading the Los Angeles for five years and going into his seventh season as the Miami Marlins’ skipper. But an upcoming MLB Network documentary can remind longtime fans and inform younger viewers on what a great player he was, No. 23 for the New York Yankees.
MLB Network Presents: Donnie Baseball premieres Sunday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Just before Opening Day on April 7, the documentary can provide an appetizer for the upcoming 2022 season and a dose of nostalgia for those who enjoyed watching Mattingly play.
Check out the trailer below:
As New York Post baseball columnist Joel Sherman notes in the trailer, Mattingly was the face of MLB — certainly the face of the Yankees — during the 1980s. For a four- to five-year span, he was one of the best hitters in baseball. In 1985, he won the American League Most Valuable Player award, batting .324 with a .939 OPS, 35 home runs, 48 doubles, and 145 RBI.
If only Mattingly played in a different decade, or his back allowed him to play longer, he might be even more highly regarded. His career unfortunately ended as the Yankees regained their standing as one of the top teams in baseball. They won the World Series in 1996, the year after Mattingly retired, and went on to win another four championships in the next 11 seasons.
Donnie Baseball also chronicles Mattingly’s battles with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who threatened to trade him. Mattingly played in an era when Steinbrenner was one of the most infamous figures in baseball, constantly firing managers, alienating star players, and interfering with how the roster was put together.
In addition to Mattingly being interviewed, former players, reporters, and broadcasters appearing in the documentary include George Brett, Wade Boggs, Mike Pagliarulo, Bernie Williams, Buck Showalter, Joe Torre, Michael Kay, and Suzyn Waldman.
MLB Network Presents: Donnie Baseball premieres Sunday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m ET.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
