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From Kingdome Double to Phillies Dugout: A Baseball Saga
27 Jul
Summary
- Edgar Martinez's 1995 walk-off double sparked a managerial lineage.
- Joe Torre's coaching tree heavily influenced multiple MLB managers.
- Don Mattingly is now the Phillies' bench coach, linking back to 1995.
In the 11th inning of Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS, Edgar Martinez hit a walk-off double for the Seattle Mariners, driving home Ken Griffey Jr. to eliminate the New York Yankees. Known as The Double, the play ended Don Mattingly's only player postseason appearance and kicked off a ripple effect across Major League Baseball that eventually shaped the Philadelphia Phillies decades later.
Following that loss, New York replaced manager Buck Showalter with Joe Torre, starting a dynasty that won four World Series titles. Torre built a famous coaching tree that included Joe Girardi and Mattingly. Girardi served as Torre's catcher before becoming his bench coach in 2005 alongside Mattingly, who was hitting coach. Girardi went on to manage Florida in 2006, winning NL Manager of the Year before being fired after an argument with owner Jeffrey Loria.
When New York sought a manager after 2007, they interviewed both Mattingly and Girardi. They chose Girardi due to his managerial experience. Girardi won a World Series with New York in 2009, while Mattingly followed Torre to Los Angeles and later managed the Dodgers and Marlins.
Girardi became Philadelphia's manager in 2020, bringing former Torre staffer Rob Thomson with him. After a slow start in 2022, Philadelphia replaced Girardi with Thomson, who led them to the World Series. Following a playoff exit in 2025, Philadelphia hired Mattingly as Thomson's bench coach to add veteran leadership.
History repeated itself early in the 2026 season when Philadelphia struggled out of the gate. The team dismissed Thomson and promoted Mattingly to manager. Under Mattingly, Philadelphia turned its season around by going 47-30 to re-enter postseason contention. Third baseman Alec Bohm, who played for Girardi, Thomson, and Mattingly, noted that managers from Torre's lineage bring a strong player-first perspective, focusing on the human element and fundamental play rather than relying solely on analytics.
What began with a dramatic postseason hit in Seattle ultimately launched a winding managerial chain, connecting two of New York's iconic figures to key turnarounds in Philadelphia.
