Phillies manager Joe Girardi and Marlins manager Don Mattingly have been just missing each other for most of their careers in Major League Baseball.
Mattingly played his entire career for the Yankees from 1982-1995, Girardi played for the Yankees from 1996-1999.
Girardi managed the then-Florida Marlins in 2006. Mattingly was hired as the Miami Marlins manager in 2016. Both were All-Stars, and both have won NL Manager of the Year. They’re even from neighboring states; Mattingly was born in Indiana, and Girardi was born in Illinois.
They did overlap briefly in the Bronx; Mattingly was a coach for the Yankees from 2004-2007, and Girardi joined him for the 2005 season. And in 2007, both men interviewed to be Joe Torre’s replacement with the Yankees. Despite Mattingly’s time with the franchise as a player, special instructor, and hitting coach, the Yankees chose Girardi. Years later, Mattingly said he had no regrets about how that turned out.
"“I am really grateful I didn’t get it.” – Mattingly on not managing the Yankees"
The Phillies and Marlins are vying for last-place in the NL East right now.
In the present, the former co-coaches are now managing division rivals. The Marlins are in fifth place with a 33-44 record, just a few games shy of the Phillies, who are 36-40, and just sank down to fourth place. They’ve already faced each other in two series, and the Phillies are 3-4 against the Marlins, on pace to lose the season series against the Florida men for the third season in a row. The Phillies do have a substantial lead in their all-time contests, though, 255-216.
Interestingly, their managers are the opposite; Girardi has a lifetime 1,051-865 regular-season managerial record and is 28-24 in the postseason. He led the 2009 Yankees to their only championship in the last two decades. Mattingly has spent less time as a manager but has losing records in both the regular and postseason; 784-805, and 10-14 in October. His Dodgers and Marlins never made it past the NLDS.
The Marlins and Phillies are coming off of nearly-identical stretches; both just faced division rivals (Nationals and Mets) for four games and came away with series splits. The Marlins are 4-6 in their last 10 games, and the Phillies are 3-7, including yesterday’s rescheduled game against the Cincinnati Reds.
This series could be make-or-break for the Phillies, who have dropped out of their third-place tie with the Braves and are now five games out of first. If they can’t come away from this series with a win, it might be the final push new President of Baseball Ops Dave Dombrowski needs to make them sellers at the deadline.