Yankees fans happy as Don Mattingly dominates amid Phillies chaos

New York Yankees fans are thrilled to see Yankees legend Don Mattingly already thriving as the interim manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. Mattingly got off to a torrid start at the helm in Philly, leading the Phils to four straight wins. He's 5-1 as interim skipper entering Monday.

Mattingly was thrown into a complicated situation when the Phillies fired Rob Thomson on April 28. Mattingly has admitted that he doesn't necessarily have any managerial aspirations at this point in his career. There's also the potentially awkward dynamic of Mattingly's son, Preston, being Philadelphia's general manager. And yet, here we are: Don and Preston Mattingly are the first father-son/manager-GM duo in MLB history.

While it's widely suggested that Mattingly isn't in line to have his interim tag removed, anything could happen, especially if the Phillies keep playing as they have under him so far.

Former Yankee Don Mattingly was destined for this Phillies opportunity

It does feel like Mattingly was meant to end up exactly where he's sitting currently. When Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was on the verge of firing Thompson, Dombrowski called up his old pal, Alex Cora — who'd just been ousted by the Boston Red Sox — and offered Cora the Phillies job.

Cora, faced with an immediate bounce-back opportunity that would have washed his mess with the Red Sox down the drain immediately, declined Dombrowski's offer, opting to spend the rest of the season with his family. It was another sign that the baseball universe always wanted Mattingly to manage this Phillies squad.

One could even argue that the baseball gods are in debt to Mattingly at this point. He was kept out of the Hall of Fame unjustly, despite being an MVP-caliber player for multiple seasons and serving the sport faithfully in multiple capacities for over four decades.

Two decades ago, Mattingly appeared to have a decent shot at succeeding the legendary Joe Torre as the Yankees' next manager. Mattingly was lauded for his efforts as New York's hitting coach between 2003-2006, and after moving to a bench coach role for the 2007 season, Mattingly became a finalist for the manager position. The Yankees, of course, ended up going with Joe Girardi.

Mattingly isn't without managerial experience on his resumé, having managed the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins since moving on from the Yankees' organization. He also got within a couple of outs of a World Series ring last season as a bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.

But this latest opportunity for Mattingly feels different. It feels like the last — and perhaps most rewarding — stop for Mattingly on what's been an epic life in Major League Baseball. When Yankees fans watch their club take on Mattingly's Phils in late July, the former MVP will be the main topic of conversation, and for good reason.

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