Don Mattingly was born on April 20, 1961. He was nicknamed “Donnie Baseball” and “The Hit Man.” He grew up in Evansville, Indiana. He played high school ball at Reitz Memorial High School where he graduated in 1979. While other teams shied away from drafting him right out of high school, the Yankees seized the opportunity and drafted him in the 19th round of the 1979 amateur draft.

He played in the majors for the Yankees from 1982 to 1995. He was one of the most popular players in Yankee history. In 1985, he was named MVP with 35 home runs, 48 doubles, and 145 RBI’s. Also in 1985, he won his first of nine Gold Glove Awards. He was such an asset to the Yankees that he was allowed to play at second and third base very early in his career. 1986 was also a good year for him. However, he was beat out of the MVP by Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens.

In 1990, Mattingly had major back problems from an injury in 1987 and this started a downward cycle in his game. In 1991, Mattingly was named team captain of the Yankees. This was an honor for him. He was among ten others players to receive this honor. These included the great legends Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.

The Yankees finally made it to the World Series in 1995. This was the last season that Mattingly played. They played against the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners won the series in the eleventh inning of game five. On August 31, 1997 Mattingly’s number, number 23, was retired by the Yankees in Cooperstown. Since then, Mattingly has worked as a hitting coach for the Yankees.