Mattingly Returns to Phillies, Aims for Turnaround

0:00On April 29th, Don Mattingley is back in the manager's seat for the Philadelphia Phillies as interim skipper after they fired Rob Thompson this week. The team sits at 10 wins and 19 losses, one of the worst records in the national league, despite a 284.7 million. Dollar payroll. Mattingley steps up from benchcoach, chasing his first world series ring after over 40 years in baseball. Earlier this winter, Mattingley had basically retired from the game until his son Preston, now the Phillies general manager, and his 11-year-old. Sun Lewis nudged him back for the bench job, Philly first eyed Alex Cora, but he passed a spin time with family. Now Father and Son are running the show together, which Mattingley says keeps him sharp with fresh ideas. Fans and players are buzzing about the shakeup, especially after the Phillies lost 10 straight and 11 of 12 to close Thompson's run. Thompson himself tuned in for the debut game, watching from afar. The roster's underachieve big time, from aging stars to a wrecked rotation that just cut Tajwan Walker.

1:02In his first game, Philly dominated San Francisco seven nothing with a shutout, their first of the year. Mattingley kept the coaching staff intact, including hitting Coach Kevin Long, and trust the players to step up. He says he's not changing much from Thompson, just pushing for cleaner, harder baseball. With nine of the next 13 games at home against mostly weak teams, Mattingley's got a real shot to flip this, like the Phillies did in 20. 22. All eyes are on the hitman to spark a turnaround and keep those championship dreams alive. That's your update from MLB News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.