@nbcphiladelphia: The Phillies announced Wednesday that Mattingly has signed a two-year contract, keeping the 65-year-old in their dugout through the 2028 season. Mattingly helped rescue a season that began disastrously, going 79-55 after moving from bench coach to replace Rob Thomson in late April. For the second time this year, the Phillies’ path to Mattingly came after they explored hiring Alex Cora. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who will speak to the media Thursday, pursued Cora before firing Thomson in April, but the former Red Sox manager declined the opportunity and chose to spend the remainder of the season with his family. Dombrowski then turned to Mattingly, who had joined the Phillies over the winter as Thomson’s bench coach. Dombrowski circled back to Cora after the season, but Cora again passed on the Phillies and reportedly plans to sit out 2027. That brought Philadelphia back to a familiar option, and one who had already shown he could steady the club. Mattingly inherited a team that was 9-19 and had lost 10 consecutive games. Under him, the Phillies played .590 baseball, a pace that would have produced approximately 96 wins over a full 162-game schedule. Owner John Middleton pointed to that turnaround late in the season when discussing Mattingly’s performance. The ending was far less impressive. Philadelphia struggled throughout September, needed the final day of the regular season to secure the National League’s last Wild Card berth and was eliminated by Atlanta in three games. The Phillies have now gone three straight postseasons without winning a series. Still, Mattingly received strong support inside the clubhouse after the season. J.T. Realmuto publicly backed his return, while Kyle Schwarber praised the even-keel approach Mattingly brought during a turbulent season and Trea Turner spoke highly of his honesty and communication. Mattingly had also made it clear months earlier that he was open to staying in the job. “I like doing it,” Mattingly told Buster Olney of ESPN in July. “I didn’t come here to do it, but I actually like doing it.”

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Wednesday 14 October 2026 15:43:49 GMT