1991 Profile: Don Mattingly

"The first baseman must show he can return to being the feared hitter he once was. Mattingly was sidelined from July 25-September 11 with a flareup of chronic back problems. He hit well upon his return but still didn't drive the ball. He failed to homer after May 20. His string of .300 seasons ended at six.
Mattingly won the batting crown in 1984, his first full major league season, by outdueling teammate Dave Winfield on the final day of the season. He provided an encore in 1985 by taking American League MVP honors and driving in 145 runs, the most by a Yankee since Joe DiMaggio's 155 in 1948. He set Yankee records with 238 hits and 53 doubles in 1986. Mattingly set a long-ball mark in 1987, with a major league record with six grand slams, and tied a major league mark by homering in eight consecutive games.
Born in Evansville, Indiana, Mattingly was selected by the Yankees in the 19th round of the 1979 draft."

-John Shea and Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1991 Edition

"The biggest symbol of the Yankees' poor 1990 season was the 'disappearance' of Don Mattingly. A severe back injury sidelined the six-time All-Star first baseman for one-third of the season and drastically reduced his statistics to career lows.
It was a devastating blow to the organization and its fans, but it was later softened by Mattingly's ambitious and optimistic return last September when he hit a customary .333 for the month. He seemed to be stroking the ball like the Don of old.
Again in 1991, the Yankees look to Mattingly as their beacon of hope. In his ninth season in Pinstripes, the former American League MVP has been named the 10th team captain in Yankee history. Don is now the true leader of the club and he has plans to turn his game around. He enjoyed a healthy and productive off-season working out at home and he's maintaining a regular back exercise program during the season. Certain 'critics' wonder if Mattingly will ever approach his home run and RBI numbers of past years, but one should never discount a physically sound Don Mattingly. Still a young man, he has a lot of baseball left to play.
'I never believed people who said what I can't do. I go out and do it,' Mattingly says. 'I'll try and do most of my talking with my bat again.' "

-The New York Yankees Official 1991 Yearbook

"1990 was a tough season all around for the Yankee first baseman. He hit .256 with five home runs and 42 RBIs, playing in 102 games.
Mattingly had a hot spring training (.302) and continued his torrid hitting into April. He started by going 6-for-12 over his first three games. After going 0-for-3 on April 15, Mattingly hit safely in his next six games (.375, 9-for-24) and was hitting .385 after his first ten games.
He celebrated his 29th birthday on April 20 at Texas by going by going 2-for-4 with his first home run of the year (off Jeff Russell); over six birthdays with the Yankees, Don is now hitting .391 (9-for-23) with two home runs and seven RBIs. He did not strike out until his 34th at-bat of the year on April 21. On April 25 against Seattle, he hit his second home run (off Michael Jackson) and number 99 of his career at the Stadium.
Don hit .313 (20-for-64) for the month with two home runs and six RBIs. His batting average was 38 points higher than his lifetime April average of .275 entering 1990, and his two home runs were the most he had ever hit in the month of April (4 total entering '90). He reached base safely in 15 of 17 games and struck out three times, all swinging.
He went hitless in his first two games in May but then hit in six straight (.320, 8-for-25) from May 3-8. From May 9-15, he had nine RBIs in a four-game stretch, capping it on May 15 with Yankee Stadium career home run No. 100, a first inning shot into the right field seats off Roy Smith of Minnesota. In six games from May 15-21, Don went 6-for-22 (.273) with two doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs to bring his season batting average to .301, the final time he would be above .300 in 1990.
On May 19 against Kansas City he hit a home run (No. 4 of '90) and then drove in the game winning run with a double in the 11th inning. Don hit his fifth and final homer of the season the following night off the Royals' Jeff Montgomery. From May 20-23 he was struck out in four straight games for the first time in his career. He reached base safely in eight of the final nine games of the month yet his batting average dropped to .285.
Don had a rough June, hitting .216 with no home runs and nine RBIs over 28 games. He started with three hits in his first 26 at-bats through June 8. Included was an 0-for-15 skid from June 3-7, his worst hitless streak since going 0-for-19 in 1985, dropping his batting average from .283 to .267. On June 15 he made his first 1990 start as a designated hitter. From June 16-22 Don went 6-for-20 but had just six hits in his final 30 at-bats to end June with a .257 average.
He played on July 1 in Andy Hawkins' no-hitter then did not play again before the break because of recurring back spasms. He missed seven games, next playing in the first game after the break. Don started the first 13 games after the break (7/12-24) before going on the disabled list until September 11. In those 13 games he hit .196 (10-for-51) with nine singles, a double, two RBIs and three runs scored.
From May 22 through July 24, Don played in 51 games and hit .208 (43-for-207) with 36 singles, five doubles and 12 RBIs. He went on the disabled list on July 25 with lower back pains. He was examined on August 6 by Dr. Robert Watkins, who put Don on a prescribed exercise program in Los Angeles under his supervision.
Mattingly was activated from the DL on September 11 after missing 47 games. He made his first appearance on September 14 in Detroit as a pinch hitter and doubled off Mike Henneman. He made a pinch-hit appearance the following night and singled. Don made his first start on September 17 in Toronto, then hit safely in six straight games from September 21-28 (9-for-24). After his activation from the DL, he played in 16 games and hit .333 (17-for-51) with three doubles and seven RBIs.
He had a string of six straight .300+ seasons broken. He played in 102 games, his fewest since 1983, and his home run and RBI totals were also his lowest since '83. His batting average (.256) was 67 points lower than his career average (.323) entering 1990. He had no sacrifice bunts in 1990 with his last coming on June 18, 1986 against Boston. Don was 1-for-7 with two RBIs with the bases loaded and has a bases-loaded career average of .287 with six grand slams.
Don missed 54 games due to injury (47 on the DL, 7 to back spasms) and the Yankees had a record of 25-29 in those games. He started 98 games (1B-89, DH-9). Despite getting only 394 at-bats, he drew a club best 13 intentional bases on balls (4th in AL).
He hit .307 (46-for-150) with two home runs and 24 RBIs in Yankee wins and .225 (55-for-244) in Yankee losses. Over the past two seasons, Don has hit 121 points better in wins, .348 (155-for-446) with 16 homers and 92 RBIs, than in losses, .237 (137-for-579) with 12 homers and 63 RBIs.
He signed a five-year contract extension on April 1990. The contract runs through the 1995 season.
In 1979 Don was selected by the Yankees in the 19th round of the June draft. He was drafted late as teams expected him to accept a college scholarship. He was signed by Yankee scouts Jax Robertson and Gust Poulos.
He was named South Atlantic League MVP in 1980. In 1981, Mattingly was named Yankee Minor League Player of the Year, led the Southern League in doubles and was named to the Topps and Southern League [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 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 37 RBIs 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 played first base on July 4th when Dave Righetti no-hit the Red Sox.
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. He 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. Don was the top road hitter in the AL at .364 and led AL first basemen with a .996 fielding percentage, making only five errors in 1,236 total chances.
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. He also led AL first basemen with a .995 fielding percentage.
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 48 doubles is the third highest single-season total in Yankee history, and his 652 at-bats is the eighth highest total in Yankee history [including his own 677 in '86]. Don 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 is the second highest total by a Yankee at first base (he played 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. Upon his return, Don homered in his first at-bat on March 26.
He didn't hit his first [regular season] home run until May 5, off Kansas City's Bud Black. Mattingly's batting average tailed off to .285 on June 8 following a 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: over the streak he went 32-for-81 (.395) 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) with 25 runs, seven doubles, 10 homers and 21 RBIs. He drove in at least one run in 10 straight games, September 20-30, for a total of 16 RBIs.
Don had five two-homer games; the first of his career was on August 2 (both homers hit off Chicago's Britt Burns). 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) and batting third in 99 games he was 124-for-404 (.307). 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.
The 1985 American League MVP and runner-up in the '86 MVP voting behind Roger Clemens had another remarkable season in 1986, supporting a mid-season New York Times poll of 417 major league players that named Mattingly the best player 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 seventh 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 in 1937 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 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.
His final batting average of .352 was second in the majors, his 117 runs was 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 was 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. His .352 average was the highest by a Yankee left-handed hitter since Gehrig hit .354 and Bill Dickey hit .362 in 1936. Mattingly 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.
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). Mattingly became the first player to lead the Yankees in average, hits, doubles and RBIs three straight years since Gehrig, 1932-34. His 53 doubles were the most in the majors since Hal McRae had 54 for Kansas City in 1977. He was the first Yankee to record 200+ hits three consecutive years since Lou Gehrig in 1930-32.
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). Through the end of '86 Don had played in 282 consecutive games (the final 120 of '85, 162 in '86). He 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 (April 21 at Kansas City and July 11 at Minnesota) and two two-homer games (May 28 at Seattle and June 9 at Detroit), 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 of 1986 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) 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 streak 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) 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 start and first appearance 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 there 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.
Don 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. He hit safely in 44 of the last 49 games, going 77-for-149 (.387) 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 (.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, and his .332 career batting average through '86 ranked third on the all-time Yankee list of players with at least 500 games, trailing only Ruth and Gehrig. 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.
Mattingly began his superb 1987 season slowly, hitting .175 on April 15 after nine games. His April batting average of .265 was his career low for that month (interestingly, Mattingly had exactly 22 hits in each April from 1984-87). He had his first career three-strikeout game on April 13 against Cleveland.
His batting average was as low as .239 (27-for-113) on May 9, after 29 games. Don then went 37-for-93 (.398) from May 10 through June 4, including a 15-game hitting streak (May 19-June 4) to raise his season stats to .311 (64-for-206) on June 4 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 53 games.
Before the June 4 game at Milwaukee, Don's back was injured when he was wrestled in the clubhouse by Bob Shirley. He tried to play, going 2-for-3 with an RBI before the pain became too severe to continue. His innings missed in that game were his first since August 7, 1986 (he missed only six innings all of '86), and that game was the last of a string of 335 consecutive games played (final 120 of 1985, 162 in '86 and the first 53 of '87), Don last sitting out on May 27, 1985. Tests later taken at NYU Medical Center revealed a disc problem in his back, forcing him to be placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 9. Activated from the disabled list on June 24, the Yankees were 11-7 during Mattingly's absence (June 5-23).
Upon his return on June 24, he hit in 18 of the next 22 games (June 14-July 19), going 39-for-95 (.411) with 25 runs, eight doubles, 12 homers and 33 RBIs, raising his overall batting average to .342- his season high. Mattingly went 4-for-6 on June 26 against Boston.
From July 8 to July 18 he hit at least one home run in eight straight games, tying the major league record previously set by Pirate Dale Long in 1956. During the same streak, Mattingly smashed the American League record of homering in six straight games, previously done six times (last by Reggie Jackson with Baltimore in 1976; also done by Lou Gehrig in 1931 and Roger Maris in 1961). Over the eight-game homer streak, Mattingly hit .459 (17-for-37) with 10 homers and 21 RBIs.
Mattingly had seven RBIs on July 16 at Texas, his single-game career high and the most by a Yankee in '87. He had at least one extra-base hit in ten consecutive games, July 7 through July 19, breaking the AL record of nine set by Babe Ruth in 1921. Don was twice named AL Player of the Week- for the weeks ending on July 12 and July 19, coming into the game of July 20 with a season high batting average of .342. He was also named AL Player of the Month for July, going 37-for-99 (.374) with 21 runs, 10 homers and 24 RBIs for the month.
On July 20 Don tied the major league record of 22 putouts by a first baseman in a nine-inning game, also held by Tommy Jones (St. Louis Browns, May 11, 1906), Hal Chase (New York Highlanders, September 21, 1906) and Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs, May 9, 1963).
He missed the games of July 21-22 at Minnesota with a slightly sprained right wrist suffered on July 18 after hitting his record-tying homer. Coming back from that injury, he was used as a pinch hitter on July 24 at Chicago, his first pinch-hitting appearance since April 6, 1984. Upon completion of the eight consecutive game home run streak on July 18, Mattingly went without a homer from July 19 through August 7 (16 games) and hit just one homer over 21 games (July 19-August 12). He had 11 extra base hits including five homers with 11 RBIs in 12 games from August 8 through August 21, and seven extra-base hits including four homers with nine RBIs in seven games from August 14 through August 21.
Mattingly had his second and final four-hit game on September 2 against Oakland, going 4-for-5. He had an 11-game hitting streak, August 30 through September 11; he hit in 17 of 18, August 30 through September 18; 26 of 28, August 30 through September 29; and in 28 of his last 32 games, August 30 through October 4, going 45-for-136 (.331) with seven homers and 31 RBIs. On September 22 at Milwaukee (second game) he made his first appearance as a designated hitter since July 6, 1986 at Chicago. Suffering from flu-like symptoms, Don was pinch-hit for by Orestes Destrade on October 1 against Boston, the first time he had been pinch-hit for since Vic Mata batted for him on August 3, 1984.
He had a pair of two-homer games, July 8 against Minnesota and July 16 at Texas. He hit .311 with runners in scoring position and averaged one strikeout per every 15.0 at-bats.
Don blasted six grand slams in 1987, setting a new major league record (No. 6 came September 29 at Yankee Stadium off Boston's Bruce Hurst) and breaking the record of five set by Cub Ernie Banks in 1955 and tied by Oriole Jim Gentile in 1961. The Yankee record for grand slams in a season was four set by Lou Gehrig in 1934 and tied by Tommy Henrich in 1948.
With the bases loaded Don was 9-for-19 (.474 BA) in 21 plate appearances, and in addition to his six grand slams had two singles, a double, a pair of sacrifice flies and 33 RBIs. Prior to 1987, he was just 12-for-47 (.255 BA) with just one extra-base hit in career bases-loaded situations. In fact, prior to his first '87 grand slam, his career numbers with the bases loaded fell to 13-for-52 (.250) in 70 plate appearances with two extra-base hits (having gone 1-for-5 with a double, sac fly and four RBIs in '87), and beginning with the first grand slam he went 8-for-14 (.571 BA) with six slams and 29 RBIs.
Mattingly's .996 fielding percentage (five errors in 1,335 total chances) was best in the American League for the fourth straight year (1,000 or more total chances), tying the AL's first baseman's record for most consecutive years leading the league in fielding (100 or more games played) set by Charles Gandil of the Indians and White Sox from 1916 to 1919 (the major league record is five consecutive years set by the Reds' Ted Kluszewski from 1951 to 1955). He tied with Kent Hrbek for fewest errors (5) by a first baseman (1,000 or more total chances).
In 1987 Don became the first player in the seven-year history of the Elias Sports Bureau's report for the MLBPA to compile a perfect 1.000 score, ranking first in each category used to measure production of first basemen: plate appearances, batting average, on-base percentage, home runs and runs batted in. He was selected to his fourth consecutive AL All-Star team and was selected to the AP, UPI, and Sporting News All-Star and Silver Slugger teams, each for the third straight year. He also captured his third straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award for AL first basemen.
Don had his fourth straight 100+ RBI season and was the first Yankee since Mickey Mantle (1955-62) and Roger Maris (1960-62) to hit 30+ homers in three straight seasons. He became the first ever Yankee to lead the club in batting average, hits, doubles and RBIs four consecutive seasons; breaking down the individual categories, the last Yankees to lead the club at least four straight seasons were: batting average- Mantle 1955-58; hits- Bobby Murcer 1971-74; doubles- none until Mattingly; RBI - Reggie Jackson- 1977-80. Prior to Mattingly, the last Yankee to have at least four straight 100+ RBI seasons was Joe DiMaggio, 1937-42. Ranked in the American League in 1987, Mattingly's 38 doubles were tied for third; his .327 batting average and 115 RBIs were fifth; his .559 slugging percentage was seventh, and his 186 hits were eighth.
Mattingly began 1988 slowly with a tough first week, going 1-for-13 in his first four games, and 3-for-22 (.136 batting average) in his first six. He did not homer until May 10 against Chicago, his 32nd game, going 124 at-bats without a home run.
His batting average reached a more respectable .286 after Don went 5-for-6 on April 12 at Toronto. In the next 10 games, from April 13-23, he went 9-for-43 (.209) while hitting .239 overall. From April 24-30, however, he went 8-for-20 (.400) to raise his overall average to .275. Don had only 12 RBIs through May 1- his first 24 games.
In seven games from May 1 through May 7, Don wen 7-for-28 (.250), with his overall average at .269, but in his next 14 games, May 8-25, he went 24-for-56 (.429 BA), with four home runs and 13 RBIs, to bring his season average up to .320; he hit safely in the final seven games of that stretch. On May 27 at Seattle, he suffered a strained muscle in his right side during batting practice, putting him on the 15-day disabled list on that date.
Mattingly was activated from the DL on June 14 and made his first appearance since May 25 that night in Boston, picking up where he left off by going 3-for-5 with two doubles. From his activation from the DL to June 25 he hit safely in 10 straight games; combined with his last seven games before going on the DL, Mattingly hit safely in 17 straight games (May 17- June 25). Over that streak he went 25-for-71 (.352 BA). He went 3-for-20 in the final five games of June to end that month hitting .305 with five homers and 36 RBIs.
From June 29 through July 6, Mattingly hit in eight straight, going 14-for-38 (.368), including four multi-hit games. From June 29 through July 22, he hit safely in 18 of 19 games, going 33-for-86 (.384) with 13 runs, five doubles, four home runs and 14 RBIs, with 11 multi-hit games, raising Mattingly's overall season batting average to .329. From June 29 through August 9, he hit safely in 33 of 35 games, going 54-for-152 (.355) with five homers and 25 RBIs, with 15 multi-hit games. His batting average reached a season high of .334 on July 25. Don ended July hitting .329 with 10 home runs and 56 RBIs.
While hitting safely in 24 of 29 August games, he went 30-for-118 (.254), the biggest difference [from July] being his percentage of multi-hit games, down from 38% in the months of April through July (as high as 54% in July) to just 17% in August. He finished August hitting .310 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs.
In September/October, Don went hitless in just five of 30 games, never two games in a row, going 39-for-125 (.312) with five homers and 16 RBIs. He hit safely in 16 of his last 18 games, going 25-for-71 (.352), raising his batting average from .305 to his final of .311.
He ended '88 with a .993 fielding percentage, fifth best in the AL (after finishing first the previous four seasons). His nine errors were a career high, yet he won his fourth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove.
Mattingly's 18 home runs and 88 RBIs in 1988 represent a 40% and 27% dropoff, respectively, in comparison to his average for the previous four seasons (30 HR, 121 RBI), but through '87 he averaged one strikeout every 15.6 at-bats- in '88 he averaged one strikeout every 20.7 at-bats (he struck out just 29 times, a career low). Mattingly batted .296 with runners in scoring position and 37 of his 88 RBIs drove in Rickey Henderson.
Named to his fifth straight American League All-Star team, Mattingly became only the eighth player in Yankee history, and the first in 30 years, to hit .300 or better in five consecutive seasons- he joined an elite Yankee group that includes Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs, Bob Meusel, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. Mantle was the last to accomplish this feat, doing so from 1954 through 1958. Mattingly was the first Yankee to lead the club in hits five straight years since Mantle (1955-59); the only other Yankee to accomplish this was Gehrig (1930-34). His third inning single on July 3 at Chicago off Bill Long was his 1,000th career hit- Mattingly became the 33rd Yankee to reach that plateau.
Don was named American League Player of the Week, July 11-17, going 9-for-17 (.529) with five runs, a double, two homers, four RBIs, a .941 slugging percentage and a .529 on-base percentage [1.4700 OPS]. His .327 road batting average was second in the AL behind Wade Boggs for players with at least 250 at-bats. Don's .311 batting average was seventh in the AL, eighth in the majors; his 94 runs 10th in the AL, 18th in the majors; his 186 hits ninth in the AL, 17th in the majors; his 37 doubles tied for 11th in the AL, tied for 15th in the majors; his 17-game hitting streak tied for fourth in the AL, tied for ninth in the majors; and his 13 game-winning RBI tied for seventh in the AL, tied for 16th in the majors.
His five hits on April 12 at Toronto tied him with seven players for the 1988 American League high while tying his own career high. Mattingly tied Oakland's Luis Polonia for most runs in a game with five on April 30 against Texas, also tying the Yankee single-game record (now done 12 times, having last been done by Bobby Murcer in 1972). His only stolen base of the year came in that game.
He was ejected on May 6 at Texas by umpire Tim Welke for arguing a ninth inning strikeout. On May 17 at Seattle he made his first error since September 14, 1987, playing 55 errorless games in between. Mattingly's start in left field on July 24 at Kansas City was his first outfield start since August 4, 1984- 590 games in between.
On August 11 against Toronto he hit a two-run, two-out game-tying homer in the ninth inning (the Yanks lost 6-5 in 11). On August 13 at Minnesota, he was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing a check-swing strikeout. On August 16 against California, he had his 10th career two-homer game (hitting both off Willie Fraser).
Don made his only appearance as a designated hitter on September 12 at Cleveland, going 0-for-4 while twice being called out on strikes. On September 21 against Baltimore he had his only pinch-hit at-bat, going 0-for-1. On September 27 at Baltimore, he had his 11th career two-homer game (hitting both off Curt Schilling).
Don missed the first three games of 1989 (in Minnesota) with back spasms but did not miss another game the entire season. From April 7-17, his first nine games, he hit .161 (5-for-31) with four strikeouts; on April 17 he struck out twice, one of only five multi-strikeout games for the year. From April 18-30, Don hit safely in 10 of games (12-for-46, .261) and reached base safely in all 12 games to conclude the month.
In April he hit .221 (17-for-77) with no home runs and six RBIs, compared to a .285 career April average entering 1989. Don had three multi-hit games, struck out five times in his first 44 at-bats and had five extra-base hits (all doubles).
Don hit in five straight games from May 4-9 (10-for-27, .370), raising his average from .200 to .241 and had eight RBIs in that span after driving in six in his first 23 games. From May 15-20, he hit in six straight (11-for-31, .355) with four multi-hit games. On May 24 against California, he went 4-for-5 (Don's first four-hit game of '89) and homered off Dan Petry, his first homer in 171 at-bats (his then-longest career homerless streak) dating back to September 29, 1988.
He ended May by hitting in five straight (9-for-21, .429) and on May 31 again went 4-for-5 with a home run. For the month, Don hit .333 (37-for-111) with three homers and 21 RBI, raising his average from .221 to .287. He struck out twice in the month (1 per 56 at-bats) and hit safely in 20 of 26 games.
June was Don's most productive month. From June 1-8 he hit .231 (6-for-26) but then reached base safely in the next 20 games through the end of June. From June 10-15 he hit safely in six straight games (11-for-26, .423) and drove in a run in five straight (12 total) from June 6-June 11 (second game). After going 0-2 with three walks on June 16 (first game), he hit safely in 13 straight from June 16 (second game)-June 30, part of a 17-game streak through July 4, going 20-for-55 (.364) with four home runs and nine RBIs. On June 22, a 3-for-4 effort with two home runs against Chicago bolstered Don over the .300 mark for the first time.
In June he hit .339 (37-for-109) with seven home runs and 23 RBIs, raising his average from .287 to .306. He struck out three times (1 per 36 at-bats) and hit safely in 20 of 24 games (11 multi-hit games) with 12 extra-base hits.
Mattingly started out hot in July, hitting in four straight from July 1-4 and in five straight from July 6-13. Overall from June 10-15, he hit .369 and reached base in 30 straight games, raising his average from .280 to .313. At the All-Star break, he was hitting .313 with 11 home runs and 56 RBIs.
After the break, Mattingly cooled down considerably. From July 15-24, he hit .136 (5-for-37) and on July 19 at Chicago was called out on strikes for the first time all year, in his 358th at-bat, the first of only two times in 1989. He went 0-for-5 on July 24, dipping under .300 for the first time in 29 games (since June 21) but hit in five straight from July 25-30 with five doubles and eight RBIs. Don's homer on July 25 at Cleveland off Rich Yett was his first road home run in 218 at-bats (dating back to September 29, 1988) and broke a 0-for-12 slump.
Don hit .284 (31-for-109) in July with three home runs, 18 RBIs and 10 multi-hit games, and ended the month with a .300 average. He struck out five times (1 per 22 at-bats), bringing his season total to 15 (1 per 27 at-bats).
August was his worst month since April. For the month he hit .268 (34-for-127) with four home runs and 23 RBIs dropping his average to .293. He struck out seven times (1 per 18 at-bats) and hit safely in 22 of 31 games, with eight multi-hit games.
Don hit for his highest average in September-October with .357 (35-for-98) with six home runs and 22 RBIs. He started September by hitting in eight straight (14-for-32, .438) with a 4-for-4 effort on September 3 snapping a streak of 16 straight games under .300. The eight straight was part of a 13-game hitting streak from August 26-September 8 in which Don went 19-for-54 (.352) with four home runs and 12 RBIs. He fanned eight times in September/October (1 per 13 at-bats) and hit safely in 19 of 26 games, with 10 multi-hit games. He hit .291 after the All-Star break with four home runs and 57 RBIs.
Mattingly became only the sixth player in Yankee history, and the first since 1942, to hit .300 or better in six consecutive seasons- he joined an elite Yankee group that includes Earle Combs, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.
He was named to his sixth straight All-Star team and won his fifth straight Rawlings Gold Glove. Don played in 158 games, his most since 1986 (162) and his 191 hits were also his most since 1986 (238). He had at least 37 doubles for the sixth straight season, and with 23 home runs had at least 20 for the fifth time in six years. He also set a career high with three stolen bases.
His 17-game hit streak (June 16-July 4) tied for the club best (with Steve Sax) and was his fifth career hitting streak of at least 17 games. Don was second on the club with 53 multi-hit games, and with runners in scoring position hit a team-leading .329 (56-for-165). He drove in a team-best 10 game-tying runs.
In Yankee wins he hit .368 (109-for-296) with 14 homers and 68 RBIs, and in Yankee losses hit .244 (82-for-335) with nine homers and 45 RBIs. He hit .342 (63-for-184) in day games and .286 (128-for-447) in night games. Don's .338 average against left-handed pitchers was his highest since 1986 (.358) and his .282 against right-handed pitchers was his lowest ever.
Don ranked fifth in fielding among AL first basemen (.995) and tied for sixth in the majors. He was third in double plays turned (143) and fourth in putouts (1,274). Don started in right field on May 18 at Oakland, his first outfield appearance since July 24, 1988 when appeared in left (101 games earlier).
Of his 30 strikeouts, two were called (Greg Hibbard on July 19 at Chicago, Paul Mirabella on September 21 against Milwaukee). Through 1988 Don averaged one strikeout for every 16.3 at-bats and in 1989 averaged one strikeout for every 21.0 at-bats. He was ejected on August 7 in the eighth inning after striking out, his first ejection since August 13, 1988. On August 25 against Baltimore, he struck out three times in one game for only the second time in his career (the other being April 13, 1987) and for the first time by one pitcher, Jeff Ballard.
Don had a pair of two-home run games in 1989 (June 11 against Boston and June 22 against Chicago). He homered on September 4 against California off Jim Abbott, one of only two allowed all year by Abbott against left-handers. On September 12 at California, Don celebrated his 1,000th career game by going 4-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs (giving him 100 for the year) and putting his average over .300 to stay.
In the American League he ranked second in RBIs (119), hardest to fan per plate appearance (1 per 23.1 at-bats) and intentional walks (18), fourth in total bases (301), fifth in extra-base hits (62) and doubles (37),tied for fifth in sacrifice flies (10), and seventh in hits (191), at-bats (621) and slugging percentage (.477).
Don attended Evansville (IN) Memorial High where he played baseball, basketball and football. He played Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion ball in Evansville. His older brother Randy played pro football.
Don enjoys racquetball and maintains homes in both Evansville and Tenafly, New Jersey. In August of 1987 he opened a restaurant in Evansville called 'MATTINGLY'S 23.' He and his wife Kim donate $100 for each home run to singer Paul Simon's project to purchase mobile medical units that will service underprivileged children in New York City."

-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide

American League batting champion (.343), 1984.
Led American League first basemen in fielding percentage (at least 1,000 total chances), (.996), 1984.
The Sporting News American League Player of the Year, 1984.
The Sporting News American League All-Star Team, 1984.
American League Player of the Week, August 5-11, 1985.
American League Player of the Month, August 1985.
American League Player of the Month, September 1985.
Led American League first basemen in fielding percentage (at least 1,000 total chances), (.995), 1985.
American League Most Valuable Player, BBWAA, 1985.
The Sporting News American League Player of the Year, 1985.
American League Player of the Year, New York Chapter of BBWAA, 1985.
The Sporting News American League All-Star Team, 1985.
Rawlings American League Gold Glove Award, First Base, 1985.
The Sporting News Silver Slugger Team, 1985.
United Press International All-Star Team, 1985.
Associated Press All-Star Team, 1985.
American League Player of the Month, September 1986.
Led American League first basemen in fielding percentage (at least 1,000 total chances), (.996), 1986.
Established Yankee record for hits, one season (238), 1986.
Established Yankee record for doubles, one season (53), 1986.
The Sporting News American League Player of the Year, 1986.
American League Player of the Year, New York Chapter of BBWAA, 1986.
The Sporting News American League All-Star Team, 1986.
Rawlings American League Gold Glove Award, First Base, 1986.
The Sporting News Silver Slugger Team, 1986.
United Press International All-Star Team, 1986.
Associated Press All-Star Team, 1986.
Tied major league record for most doubles, inning (2), April 11, 1987, seventh inning.
American League Player of the Week, July 6-12, 1987.
Established major league record for most consecutive games, one or more extra-base hits (10), July 7-19, 1987.
Established major league record for most home runs, seven consecutive games (homering each game) (9), July 8-17, 1987.
Established major league record for most home runs, eight consecutive games (homering each game) (10), July 8-18, 1987.
Tied major league record for most consecutive games hitting home runs (8), July 8-18, 1987.
American League Player of the Week, July 13-19, 1987.
Tied major league record for first basemen for most putouts, nine-inning game (22), July 22, 1987.
Tied major league record for most chances accepted, nine-inning game (22), July 22, 1987.
American League Player of the Month, July 1987.
Established major league record for most grand slams, one season (6), 1987.
Led American League first basemen in fielding percentage (at least 1,000 total chances), (.996), 1987.
The Sporting News American League All-Star Team, 1987.
Rawlings American League Gold Glove Award, First Base, 1987.
The Sporting News Silver Slugger Team, 1987.
United Press International All-Star Team, 1987.
Associated Press All-Star Team, 1987.
Tied American League record for first basemen for most consecutive years leading league in fielding percentage (4), 1984-87.
American League Player of the Week, July 11-17, 1988.
The Sporting News American League All-Star Team, 1988.
Rawlings American League Gold Glove Award, First Base, 1988.
Rawlings American League Gold Glove Award, First Base, 1989.

-1991 New York Yankees Information Guide