TORONTO — Theoretically, it could have been him, but not him. Dave Roberts.
He could be the leader of the most valuable collection of talent in baseball history. He could become the coach of a two-time World Series champion. He could have been part of a dynasty.
Don Mattingly said he never watched his departure from Dodgers however in this context.
And when he returns to Dodger Stadium this week as the team's alternate coach Toronto Blue Jayshe doesn't expect to feel anything that he wouldn't feel in a World Series game played in any other stadium.
“I don’t look at it as anything other than preparing to win the game,” Mattingly said.
All this is not surprising.
The former New York Yankees superstar has always been diplomatic about the end of his five-year reign as manager of the Dodgers.
His parting with the Dodgers 10 years ago has never been explained in any reasonable way, as both he and the team said it was a mutual decision at the time. It's widely suspected that Mattingly wanted more job security and the Dodgers didn't think enough of him to stop him from finding it elsewhere. Shortly after his departure, Mattingly became manager of the Miami Marlins. The Dodgers replaced him with Roberts.
Mattingly now says the decision was made for family reasons.
His stepchildren were in school, so his wife stayed at their home in Indiana during the offseason. A difficult commute to work in Los Angeles limited how often he saw her, and it was especially difficult because their son was less than a year old.
“It really was a family decision,” Mattingly said.
Because of this, he said, “I never looked back on those decisions.”
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly signs autographs before a game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on September 10, 2014.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Mattingly was hired by the Dodgers as their hitting coach when they owned Frank McCourt. He was appointed manager when Joe Torre retiredand he was still at the helm when the franchise was acquired by Guggenheim Baseball Management.
The change in ownership led to a change in how the team invested in players. Driven into bankruptcy by McCourt, the Dodgers overnight became huge spenders.
“I think it was a positive time for the Dodgers, obviously. Before that, there was a lot of negativity around the club and the ownership. These guys came in and turned it around and brought a positive dynamic, not only positive, but a great product on the field every year.”
While Mattingly remained their manager, the Dodgers looked ready to make the World Series in 2013, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series after Hanley Ramirez suffered a broken rib. The Dodgers' best hitter, Ramirez, was hit by a Joe Kelly fastball.
Mattingly said he doesn't play the “what if” game when thinking about this team.
“Teams that are destined to win, they win and they do their best,” Mattingly said.
The Dodgers lost the National League Division Series in each of the next two seasons to the Cardinals in 2014 and the New York Mets in 2015. Last season was the Dodgers' first with Andrew Friedman as president of baseball operations and last with Mattingly as manager.
Asked if he envisioned a decade of dominance that followed his departure, Mattingly replied: “I don't know all that. Because winning is hard. You're still going to have to win big series.”
He noted that high salaries do not always lead to championships.
When the Dodgers finally won World Series in 2020Mattingly was especially happy about this Clayton Kershaw. In each of the Dodgers' three playoff games under Mattingly, Kershaw started on three days' rest.
Toronto Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly speaks to reporters at the Rogers Center in Toronto on October 23.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“Honestly, if you really look at his postseasons, they weren't that bad,” Mattingly said. “I know people made a lot of money on them because you expect him to throw a shutout every time you go out and never give up. But in the postseason it's different. Two series in a row he was on short rest. The way they're set up, maybe we wouldn't have had to do that if he had a different quality of starter at that point.”
“I'm happy for Clayton. He's been a great ambassador for the game. Obviously, he's had a great career. Great person. Great guy. Does good things. It's hard to say anything bad about Clayton for everything he's accomplished and the way he conducts himself.”
Mattingly is now in the same position as Kershaw in 2020, as the avalanche of congratulatory messages he received made him aware of the number of people who were rooting for him.
This is his first World Series. Mattingly never got to this point with the Yankees, Dodgers or Marlins.
“If some other team played for him, I would be very happy for him, right?” Kershaw joked. “I'm glad he got here.
“With that being said, I hope he doesn't win.”
