Blue Jays manager congratulates Don Mattingly on his new Phillies appointment

For Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider and former Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly, they had been through it all together during the past three MLB seasons prior to 2026. Whether it was suffering through a massive disappointment from the 2024 campaign, or relishing some postseason success in 2025, their bond and friendship helped elevate the Blue Jays into the upper echelon in the league.

But even with the former Blue Jays coach’s surprising departure to Philadelphia this past offseason following Toronto’s memorable World Series run last year, his great work with the franchise won't be forgotten. Mattingly was recently promoted to become the interim manager for the Philadelphia Phillies following the firing of Rob Thomson, Schneider went out of his way to congratulate him on his new appointment.

Former Blue Jays coach Don Mattingly off to a good start as interim manager of the Phillies

The Mattingly era in Philadelphia has gotten off on the right foot as the Phillies would post a dominating 7-0 shutout win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday for his first win as manager of the ballclub. Coincidentally, Schneider and the Blue Jays also recorded a shutout the very same night, a 3-0 win over the Boston Red Sox, resulting in a sharing of laughter between the former friends, as per Thomas Hall of MLB.com. In fact, since Mattingly had taken over for the Phillies, they have actually gone unbeaten, winning four straight games including a sweep of the Giants in the process.

As for Mattingly, this isn’t the first time that he has been a manager in the big leagues. He has previously managed the Los Angeles Dodgers between 2011 to 2015 and the Miami Marlins between 2016 to 2022. Prior to his four wins with the Phillies, Mattingly has registered a career 889-950 managerial record in over 1839 games in the majors. His greatest success came between 2013 and 2015 with the Dodgers where he led Los Angeles to three consecutive NL West division titles.

As a result, Philadelphia will definitely look to the 65-year-old leader to help turn their fortunes around after their miserable start to the 2026 MLB season. The Phillies already have a roster that consists of a couple of former Blue Jays helping them out this season with Tim Mayza and Trevor Richards being a part of their pitching staff. They will hope that Mattingly will be the right person to lead them back to their winning ways that many have grown accustomed to in the City of Brotherly Love.

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