1987 Profile: Don Mattingly

1987 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR
"Established Yankee records with 238 hits, breaking the mark of 231 set by Hall of Famer Earle Combs, and with 53 doubles, breaking Lou Gehrig's standard by one. Both records had stood since 1927. Produced 200 hits for the third consecutive season; the only other Yankee to do that was Gehrig, 1930-32. Put together the longest hitting streak in the AL, a career-high 24 games; he batted .430 (43-for-97) in that stretch.
Mattingly's .352 batting average left him five points short of Boston's Wade Boggs. His pursuit of the batting title was hurt by Boggs' decision to sit out the last four games due to an injured right hamstring.
This first baseman became a left-handed third baseman for three games as an emergency fill-in. He turned his first chance into a double play.
Mattingly was born in Evansville, Indiana and still lives there. He was selected by the Yankees in the 19th round of the June 1979 draft.
In 1984, his first full major league season, he became the first Yankee to win a batting championship since Mickey Mantle in 1956, finishing with a .343 average, three points ahead of teammate Dave Winfield. Mattingly was AL MVP in 1985.
There's no one way to pitch to him. He tends to study the first pitch and adjust from there. His only area for improvement is baserunning. Mattingly his second Gold Glove in 1986."

-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1987 Edition

"In 1986 Mattingly was either first, second or third in the American League in hits, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, batting average, slugging average and runs scored. 'I've never seen anyone like him,' says Earl Weaver, the great Orioles manager.
But older New York fans will tell you that there was once somebody just like Mattingly- Lou Gehrig. A pair of guys who live by the work ethic.
To be young and a Yankee is one thing, but to have earned comparisons with Gehrig and Combs and DiMaggio and Musial is something else. Yet this is exactly where Don Mattingly sits today.
Mattingly entered the 1986 baseball season as an established star and came out of the campaign looking even greater- and coaxing comparisons with the greats of the past. Take Gehrig and Combs for starters.
Lou Gehrig and Earle Combs were members of that magical 1927 Yankees club, the most legendary- if not the best- team in baseball history. Both Gehrig and Combs set club records in 1927 that held up for nearly six decades.
Combs banged out 231 hits in 1927; Mattingly in 1986 collected 238. Gehrig's doubles production in 1927 was 52; Mattingly in 1986 stroked 53 two-baggers.
Surpassing Gehrig's doubles record was by no means a fluke, for Mattingly had been inching up on it ever since becoming a Yankees regular in 1984, a year in which he rapped 44 doubles. The following year he had 48 two-base hits, the most in Yankees history behind Gehrig's 52. That Mattingly would set a new standard began to seem inevitable.
Hitting doubles has become somewhat of a Mattingly specialty, as well it might for a left-handed hitter who uses the whole field and is just as likely to slice one down the opposite-field line as he is to pull one into the right field corner.
Don's doubles production in 1986 put him at the top of the American League for the third successive season, something no one in the junior circuit had done in the doubles department since Tris Speaker led the league four straight seasons, 1920 through 1923. The majors' record for doubles, 67, was set in 1931 by Earl Webb of the Red Sox. That record seems out of range for Mattingly only because he plays on the natural grass of Yankee Stadium. If Don played in Kansas City, say, on an artificial turf that permits the ball to skip through the gaps, Webb's record might be within his grasp.
But happily for Yankees fans, Mattingly doesn't play his home games in Kansas City. He plays on the same hallowed ground- at the same position- once anchored by the immortal Gehrig.
Gehrig. The name conjures up all kinds of images. A workhorse who gave his all every day he showed up- and he never missed a day.
By most accounts, Gehrig as a first-rate guy. He was quiet and considerate, once declining to pose for a cigarette ad because he didn't think it was a good example for kids. He was conservative and maybe even excessively frugal. And he was a homebody, some would say he was even isolated. But he is remembered for the dignified, professional way he conducted himself on and off the field; he was, indeed, the Pride of the Yankees. Most of all, he is remembered for his incredible playing streak of 2,130 games.
Gehrig was probably the most consistent power hitter ever, driving in and scoring over runs in 13 straight seasons (1926-38), an illustrious major league record. He topped 150 RBI in seven straight seasons! Jimmie Foxx, a noted longballer himself, once called Lou a 'more dangerous' hitter than both Ruth and Josh Gibson, the tremendous slugger of the Negro Leagues who reportedly studied Lou's hitting style and patterned himself after the Iron Horse.
Mattingly and Gehrig. The comparison is compelling. Gehrig was voted the Greatest First Baseman Ever during the 1969 observance of baseball's centennial, and Mattingly, quite possibly, is the best first baseman since Gehrig. In his seventeen-year career, Gehrig hit a robust .340. Mattingly, with his .332 batting average for about three and half seasons in the majors, is running only eight points behind Lou.
No doubt about it, Gehrig could ride a baseball, collecting a lifetime total of 493 home runs. He was a massively built slugger, a six-footer who carried about 200 pounds, with broad shoulders and thick oak tree legs. Mattingly, a smaller man, relies on bat speed to generate his power, as he did against Baltimore late last season when he took a high outside Don Aase fastball and, in a blink of an eye, turned it around, sending it deep into the right field bleachers at Yankee Stadium.
Although Mattingly hit .332 overall in the minors- the same as his career mark so far in the majors- he had only 37 home runs in 1,824 at-bats. Since reaching the big show, however, Don has nailed 92 homers in 2,223 at-bats. First he learned how to handle professional pitching, and then he found that with the proper weight shift, he could drive certain pitches out of the park, thus becoming a more productive hitter than he was in the minors.
A point to remember when comparing Mattingly and Gehrig as hitters is that the game today is much more balanced than it was in Lou's day, when the hitters dominated. RBI opportunities were plentiful in 1931 when Gehrig set the league's standing RBI record with 184. A Yogi Berra story perhaps makes the point. Playing for Norfolk, Yogi once got 21 RBI in a doubleheader, an accomplishment he put in perspective with the observation that 'there were a lot of men on base.'
So it useful to consider the context of the times when comparing Mattingly's 1986 season with Gehrig's 1927. Whether Mattingly measures up to legendary Lou isn't so much the issue; what is to appreciated- and, for Yankee fans, savored- is that Don has earned comparison with baseball's most famed first baseman.
Mattingly in 1986 not only out-doubled the Gehrig of 1927, he out-hit him as well, 238 to 218. However, his 86 extra-base hits (putting him first in the league for the second straight year) fell far short of Gehrig's 117 extra-base hits of 1927. And although Don led the league in slugging (again for the second year in a row) at .573, he came nowhere near Lou's .765 clip of 1927. Gehrig also out-RBIed Mattingly, 175 to 113, out-averaged him, .373 to .352, and out-homered him, 47 to 31.
Gehrig was the most durable of players, but Mattingly is by no means fragile. In 1985 Don led the Yankees in games played with 159, and in 1986 played in every one of New York's 162 games. Since the league schedule was expanded from 154 to 162 games in 1961, only three Yankees- Bobby Richardson (1962), Roy White (1970 and 1973) and Chris Chambliss (1978)- played 162 games. Mattingly, as they say, doesn't beg out.
In the area of defense, it would seem that Mattingly has the edge over Gehrig- maybe even a big edge- at first base. By most accounts, Lou was just an adequate first baseman- capable, but not outstanding. Mattingly, on the other hand, who has range and exceptional mobility, is in a class by himself. Nobody has ever made the 3-6-3 double play better. Nobody has quicker hands or a quicker first step. Nobody has his imagination for pulling off the impossible play.
Yankees manager Lou Piniella was in a jam in late August of 1986. His starting third baseman, Mike Pagliarulo, was hurt, and so Piniella in a bold mood asked Mattingly to shift to third for a few games in Seattle. Left-handed throwers like Mattingly are almost never stationed at third, but Don gave it his best shot and when the dust cleared, Seattle manager Dick Williams said Mattingly 'played like Pie Traynor,' the Hall of Fame third sacker. On his very first chance, as a matter of fact, Don fielded a hot grounder and calmly started a double play. It is unlikely that Gehrig could have turned a similar performance.
One final Mattingly-Gehrig comparison: in 1986 Mattingly became the first Yankees player to make at least 200 hits in three consecutive seasons since Gehrig did it in 1930, 1931 and 1932. Over the 1984-86 seasons, Don made 656 hits; over the 1930-32 seasons, Lou made 639 hits.
Mattingly's hit collection broke the club record of yet another fantastic Yankees player. Earle Combs may have had his greatest season in 1927- besides his 231 hits, he batted .356 and scored 137 runs; but the Kentucky Colonel wasn't as productive a hitter as Gehrig or Mattingly. He did hit .325 lifetime but, after all, Mattingly is at .332. And in 12 big league seasons, Combs belted only 58 home runs as opposed to Mattingly's young career total of 93. Combs was a leadoff man, however, and wasn't expected to hit the long ball. His job was to get on base for Ruth and Gehrig.
Mattingly can be compared to one other lifetime .325 hitter of some renown- Joe DiMaggio. When Mattingly tallied 145 RBI in 1985 it was the most by a Yankees player since DiMaggio's 155 in 1948. And Don's 388 total bases in 1986 were the most by a member of the Yankees since DiMaggio made 418 in 1937.
The pinnacle of the great DiMaggio's career, of course, was his unbelievable 56-game hitting streak in 1941. And while Mattingly has yet to approach the 56-game mark, he has had some streaks of his own. Following runs of 20 and 19 games in 1985, Mattingly hit safely in 24 consecutive games- the longest streak in the American League- in 1986.
Mattingly is like DiMaggio in at least one respect: he's a player who hits for power and yet doesn't strike out too much. The Jolter, in 13 major league seasons, hit .361 and fanned only 369 times. Over the past two seasons, Mattingly has cracked 66 homers while striking out only 76 times. In other words, Mattingly, like DiMaggio, isn't a flailing slugger.
Actually the player of the past than Mattingly most evokes never wore Yankees Pinstripes. Mattingly most resembles Stan Musial, the old Cardinals great. Left-handed hitters with unorthodox stances, they are the same size at about six feet tall and 175 pounds or so. Musial was an outfielder-first baseman and Mattingly played the outfield before establishing himself at first base with the Yankees.
Stan hit .331 lifetime and Don is at .332. Musial, like Mattingly, developed power after initially being a spray hitter. He hit as many as 39 homers in a season (1948) compared with Mattingly's career high of 35 homers (1985). Stan never won a National League home run crown, and Mattingly, for all his talent, might never win one in the American League. If he does, look out Triple Crown!
In 1986 Mattingly became the first American Leaguer in the league's 86-year history to make at least 230 hits, 100 RBI and 30 homers. It is a feat has been accomplished six times in the National League and Stan the Man in 1948 was the last to do it.
As far as two-base hits go, Musial, who led the National League in doubles eight times, had his career high in 1953 when he rapped 53 doubles. Mattingly, of course, equaled Musial's best with his 53 doubles in 1986.
'I know people are comparing Don's swing to Stan Musial's,' says Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, 'but they don't have to. Don Mattingly has his own swing. He doesn't need to follow anybody. He's is his own man.'
Mattingly's rise to the top of the baseball world has been meteoric. Following an all-around athletic career at Evansville (Indiana) Memorial High School, Don was chosen by the Yankees in the 19th round of the 1979 draft. He signed, began a string of outstanding seasons in the Yankees' farm system and joined the Yanks for good in 1983, although he was really only an extra hand, playing a little first base and helping out in the outfield. But he proved he could hit in that rookie season; a late-season slump deprived him of having a better average than his final .283.
Then, bam! Mattingly won the 1984 batting title with a .343 average, becoming the first Yankees batting champ since Mickey Mantle led the league in 1956. And the following year Mattingly knocked in 145 runs and was voted the league's Most Valuable Player. Then in 1986 he broke the sacred Yankees records of Gehrig and Combs. What can this guy do for an encore?
Coming into Boston for the final series of 1986, Mattingly anticipated a duel with the Red Sox' Wade Boggs, a duel to determine the American League batting champion. It never materialized- Boggs sat out the series with a pulled hamstring muscle. Even without the duel, Mattingly excited the Bostonians with his tremendous final splurge; he went 8-for-19 in the final four games, passing Combs along the way, hitting his 30th and 31st homers, and recording his 52nd and 53rd doubles to pass Gehrig.
But as heroic as these achievements were, Mattingly would have needed to nail 6-for-6 in the season finale to overtake Boggs, who won the batting title at .357. Although he didn't win the 1986 batting title, Mattingly was the first Yankee to top the .350 mark since Mantle batted .365 in 1957. Not only that, Don was the first left-handed hitting Yankees player to go over .350 since Gehrig- there's that name again- hit .351 in 1937.
Boggs and Mattingly are the supreme hitters in baseball today- two dynamite pure hitters. But there is a distinction to made between the two; while Boggs, who has won three batting championships since joining the Red Sox in 1982, is a line drive hitter, Mattingly is a line drive hitter with sock. Boggs has never hit more than eight home runs in a season. If producing runs is still the essence of an offensive player- and it is- Mattingly is a more valuable hitter than Boggs. Boggs has never had a 100-RBI season; Mattingly has enjoyed three straight.
One must remember that these two young superstars are still relative newcomers to the big league scene. No matter how great Don's success has been thus far, neither he nor Boggs has earned a free ticket to Cooperstown yet. Consistency- the kind of consistency that Gehrig had- is what it takes to make that trip.
'Players must prove themselves, unquestionably,' Mattingly says. 'Wade Boggs had to prove his batting title in 1983 was no fluke, and I guess I have to do the same. Deep down, however, you try to prove things to yourself. You know what you can do, so you go out and do it.'
The New York Times conducted a poll of major league players in 1986, asking who was the best player in the game. Mattingly, the players said. In 1986 Mattingly was either first, second or third in the American League in hits, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, batting average, slugging average, RBI and runs scored.
'My performance on the field will not change,' Mattingly insists. 'I will bust my butt, day after day ... it's funny- when I'm on the field, I'm out there by myself. Not in the literal sense, but in the sense that I love the challenge and I can do my job. Everybody has problems- me, the fans, other players- but on the field, I have a job to do and I enjoy the challenge.'
It's not talent that separates Mattingly and Gehrig from the rest, it's hard work and desire. Proper work habits. Practice. Dedication. Gehrig had it. The kid from Indiana has it, too.
Don Mattingly has earned the right to be compared with the immortals of the game, and someday he may join Gehrig, Combs and all the other greats in Cooperstown.
'For my name to be mentioned in that category means a lot to me,' Don says. 'Growing up in Indiana, you don't hear much about Yankee tradition. But I've learned to understand what that tradition is all about and I feel honored to be even a small part of it."

-The New York Yankees Official 1987 Yearbook

"The 1985 American League MVP and runner-up in the '86 MVP voting behind Roger Clemens had another remarkable season, supporting a mid-season New York Times poll of 417 major league players that named Mattingly the best player currently in the game. He led the majors with 238 hits, a .573 slugging percentage, 388 total bases (leading the majors for the second consecutive year), 86 extra-base hits (also leading the majors for the second consecutive year) and 53 doubles (leading the majors for the third consecutive year- the first player to lead the American League or the major leagues three straight years since Tris Speaker from 1920-23).
His 238 hits broke the former Yankee record of 231 set in 1927 by Earle Combs; his 232nd hit, which broke the record, came in the second inning on October 2 at Fenway Park off Sammy Stewart. His 388 total bases were the most by a Yankee since Joe DiMaggio posted 418 and the most in the AL since Jim Rice's 406 in 1978, and equaled the fourth highest total in the majors since 1939; Mattingly became the 10th player to lead the majors in total bases two consecutive years, the first since Mike Schmidt in 1980-81, and the only Yankee besides Babe Ruth in 1923-24. His 53 doubles broke the Yankee mark of 52 also set in 1927 by Lou Gehrig; his 53rd came in the fourth inning of New York's final game on October 5 at Fenway off Jeff Sellers.
Don's final batting average of .352 was second in the majors, his 117 runs were third in the majors and third in the AL, his 15 game winning RBI tied for third in the majors and tied for first in the AL, his 113 RBIs were fifth in the majors and third in the AL, his .394 on-base percentage was seventh in the majors and fifth in the AL, and his 31 home runs tied for seventh in the majors and tied for sixth in the AL.
He went into the final series of the season trailing Boston's Wade Boggs .357 to .350 in the American League batting race. While Boggs sat out the four-game set with a sore right hamstring, Don went 8-for-19 (.421 BA) with five runs, two doubles, two homers and four RBIs. Given the number of at-bats for Mattingly in that series (19), he would have needed 12 hits to overtake Boggs (the averages would have been .3574 for Mattingly and .3568 for Boggs).
Mattingly was the first Yankee to hit .350 or better since Mickey Mantle hit .365 in 1957, and the first Yankee left-handed hitter to hit .350 or better since Lou Gehrig hit .351 in 1937. He became only the eighth Yankee to ever hit at least .352, [joining] Babe Ruth (eight times), Gehrig (5), Joe DiMaggio (3), Mantle (2), Earle Combs, Tony Lazzeri and Bill Dickey- all but Lazzeri are Hall of Famers. Mattingly is the first player to lead the Yankees in average, hits, doubles and RBIs three straight years since Gehrig from 1932-34. He's the first Yankee to record 200+ hits three consecutive years since Gehrig from 1930-32.
He became the 11th player in major league history, and the first in 27 years (Hank Aaron in 1959), to finish with at least 200 hits, a .350 BA, 30 homers and 100 RBIs- the others were Lou Gehrig (five times), Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby (three each), Chuck Klein, Jimmie Foxx and Stan Musial (twice each), Lefty O'Doul, Hack Wilson and Joe Medwick. He became the first AL player to record 230 hits, 100 RBIs and 30 homers (accomplished by six National Leaguers, most recently by Musial in 1948). His 53 doubles were the most in the majors since Hal McRae had 54 for Kansas City in 1977.
Don became the fifth Yankee to play in 162 games in a single season, joining Bobby Richardson (1962), Roy White (1970 and 1973) and Chris Chambliss (1978). He has played in New York's last 282 consecutive games (the final 120 of '85, 162 in '86), last sitting out on May 27 of '85. Don missed just six innings of play in '86: four innings on June 28 against Toronto (due to a bruised left index finger) and two innings on August 7 against Milwaukee.
His .996 fielding percentage led AL first basemen for the third consecutive year and he's the only Yankee to ever lead the league in fielding percentage three straight years at any position. He led AL first basemen with 160 games and 1,483 total chances, and won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
Don hit .305 (50-for-164) with runners in scoring position, and his four-hit games came on May 6 at Chicago, May 17 at Seattle, June 19 at Toronto and June 20 at Toronto. He had two three-double games and two two-homer games, and his 79 multi-hit games led the club. He averaged just one strikeout for every 19.3 at-bats.
He was slowed in spring training by a bone bruise of the left thumb, playing only 16 of 28 exhibition games, hitting .300 with no home runs and six RBIs. Don recorded his 500th career hit with his first hit on Opening Day on April 8 against Kansas City, and notched his first career five-RBI game on April 21 at Kansas City. He did not hit his first home run until his 81st at-bat on April 30 against Minnesota off Bert Blyleven. Don tied the major league record with three sacrifice flies on May 3 against Texas and hit in 14 straight games, May 4-18, going 28-for-61 (.459 BA) with 11 runs, 11 doubles, three homers and eight RBIs, raising his batting average from .261 to .340.
A sac fly in the ninth inning on June 24 at Boston broke a string of 57 at-bats without an RBI that began with his last at-bat on June 12 (he went 11 games between recording RBIs 52 and 53). Don hit in 13 of 14 games, June 19-July 3, going 30-for-60 (.500 BA) with 14 runs, seven doubles, a homer and five RBIs, raising his batting average from .310 to .344; after June 24 his batting average never dipped below .334.
He made his first and only career start as a designated hitter on July 6 at Chicago, breaking a string of 201 consecutive starts at first base. With Mike Pagliarulo bothered by a sore hamstring, Mattingly made three appearances at third base, the first coming on August 29 at Seattle. He became the first left-handed third baseman since Mike Squires played 13 games at third for the White Sox in 1984, and the first such Yankee third baseman since Hal Chase played one game in 1908. Among the three appearances at third were two starts: the second games of doubleheaders on August 30 and on August 31, both at Seattle.
He had a career high 24 game hitting streak extending from August 30 (second game) through September 26. It was the longest streak of Don's career, and the seventh longest hitting streak in Yankee history as well as being the longest in the AL in 1986. Don hit safely in 44 of the last 49 games, going 77-for-149 (.387 BA) with 40 runs, 16 doubles, a triple, 11 homers and 34 RBIs. He hit safely in 81 of 97 games from June 18 on, going 153-for-403 and hitting .380.
40 of the 113 runs driven in by Mattingly were scored by Rickey Henderson. His season final batting average of .352 was the highest point reached by Mattingly throughout the year. His 677 at-bats in '86 is the fourth highest total in Yankee history, trailing only Horace Clarke's total of 686 in 1970, and Bobby Richardson's totals of 679 in 1964 and Yankee record of 692 in 1962.
His .332 career batting average ranks third on the all-time Yankee list for 500 games played, trailing only Babe Ruth (.349) and Lou Gehrig (.340).
In a phenomenal 1985 season, displaying prowess with bat and glove, Mattingly led the majors with 145 RBIs, 48 doubles and 15 sacrifice flies and led the American League with 370 total bases, 21 game winning RBIs and 86 extra-base hits. He was second in the AL with 211 hits, a .567 slugging percentage and 66 multiple hit games, third with a .324 batting average, fourth with 35 home runs and tied for sixth with 107 runs.
His 145 RBIs were the most by a Yankee since DiMaggio had 155 in 1948, and he was the first Yankee to lead the AL in RBIs since Roger Maris in 1961; he reached the 100 RBI plateau on August 20- the earliest by a Yankee since Maris and Mantle recorded their 100th on August 4 and August 6, respectively, in 1961. His 211 hits were the most by a Yankee since Red Rolfe's 213 in 1939 and is the seventh highest total in Yankee history (including his own 238 in '86), and Mattingly was the first Yankee to collect 200+ hits in consecutive seasons since DiMaggio in 1936-37. He was the first AL player to lead the majors in doubles in consecutive seasons since Tris Speaker in 1920-23, and was the first player to lead the AL in doubles in consecutive seasons since Tony Oliva in 1969-70. His 652 at-bats is the eighth highest total in Yankee history (including his own 677 in '86) and he was the first Yankee to have 600+ at-bats in consecutive seasons since Chris Chambliss in 1976-78. Don's 159 games led the team and are the second highest total by a Yankee at first base (including his own 160 in '86).
Don suffered a minor tear of the medial meniscus cartilage in his right knee in February while working out with weights at his Evansville, Indiana home. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the damage on February 22 and his rehabilitation caused him to miss the first 18 spring training games. Don made a spectacular spring debut, homering in his first at-bat on March 26.
He didn't hit his first [regular season] home run until May 5, off KC's Bud Black. Mattingly's batting average tailed off to .285 on June 8 following an 0-for-19 streak (his longest 0-for of '85), yet he had a 20-game hitting streak, June 22-July 12, the longest of '85 by a Yankee and then longest of his career- he went 32-for-81 (.395 BA) with 11 runs, nine doubles, three homers and 21 RBIs. He committed his first error on July 7 against Minnesota, breaking a streak of 153 games (1,371 total chances), dating back to June 22, 1984, of not committing an error at first base. Don also had a 19-game hitting streak from August 1-21, going 35-for-79 (.443 BA) with 25 runs, seven doubles, 10 homers and 21 RBIs.
Don drove in at least one run in 10 straight games, September 20-30, for a total of 16 RBIs. He drove in four runs in a game four times and drove in Rickey Henderson with 56 of his 145 RBIs. Don was the first player to lead the majors in RBIs and strike out as few as 41 times since Ted Kluszewski led the bigs with 141 RBIs in 1954 while striking out 35 times.
Batting second in 58 games, he was 85-for-242 (.351 BA) and batting third in 99 games he was 124-for-404 (.307 BA). He batted fourth twice, going 2-for-6.
The two games Mattingly missed came on May 26-27 at Oakland when he was suffering from a groin pull. He underwent minor surgery on November 12 to correct a catch in the extensor tendon of his right hand's little finger- little to no rehabilitation was required.
In 1984, Mattingly became the first Yankee to win the AL batting championship since Mickey Mantle in 1956, battling teammate Dave Winfield to the last day of the season, winning .343 to .340. He was named to his first AL All-Star team in his first full season in the majors. Don led the AL with 207 hits, 44 doubles and 59 multiple-hit games, was second with a .537 slugging percentage and was the first Yankee left-handed batter to hit .340 since Lou Gehrig hit .351 in 1937. He was the top road hitter in the AL at .364. He led AL first basemen with a .996 fielding percentage, making only five errors in 1,236 total chances.
Don had a terrific rookie season in 1983. He won the James P. Dawson Award as the top Yankee rookie in spring training and was in the starting lineup for the Yankee home opener. Optioned to Columbus on April 14, he hit eight home runs with 39 RBI and a .340 batting average with the Clippers before his recall on June 20 when Bobby Murcer retired. Don hit his first major league homer off John Tudor on June 24 at Fenway Park. He hit in 24 of 25 games, July 13- August 11, going hitless (0-for-2) in both ends of the 'Pine Tar Game' (July 24 and August 18). He played one-third of an inning at second base in the August 18 conclusion of that game.
He was named South Atlantic League MVP in 1980. In 1981, Mattingly was Yankee Minor League Player of the Year, led the Southern League in doubles and was named to the Southern League and Topps Class AA All-Star teams as an outfielder. He was named an International League All-Star as an outfielder in 1982 and his outstanding season earned him a promotion to the Yankees in September.
Don was drafted late as teams expected him to accept a college scholarship. He was signed by Yankee scouts Jax Robertson and Gust Poulos.
He attended Evansville (IN) Memorial High where he played baseball, basketball and football. Don played Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion ball in Evansville. His brother Randy played pro football.
Don enjoys racquetball and maintains homes in both Evansville and Tenafly, New Jersey."

-1987 New York Yankees Information Guide