Don Mattingly hits lone career postseason homer in ALDS vs. Mariners on this day in 199510/04/2016 2:43 PM ET
By A.J. Herrmann
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web.yesnetwork.com]
Don Mattingly hits lone career postseason homer 21 years ago today.(YouTube)
During his 14-year playing career in the Majors, lifelong Yankee Don Mattingly was among the most feared hitters in the league.
He hit better than .300 for six straight seasons from 1984 to 1989, earning All-Star invitations every year during that span and leading the A.L. with a .343 clip in 1984.
But one of the most noteworthy things that sticks out when looking back at Mattingly's career in pinstripes is how many opportunities he did not get to flex his muscles in the postseason, as the Yankees suffered a playoff drought from 1982 to 1994.
Donnie Baseball did, however, get one chance to experience playoff baseball in his final season, when the Yankees battled their way to the 1995 ALDS to face the Seattle Mariners. It was in that series that Mattingly, then 34 years old, hit his first and only career postseason home run, which occurred on this date 21 years ago.
The Yankees were playing the second game of the 1995 ALDS against Seattle, who dropped the series opener against New York, but held a 2-1 lead entering the sixth inning in The Bronx. Yankees DH Ruben Sierra led off the inning with a home run, tying the game at 2-2, and setting the stage for Mattingly.
Facing Mariners starter Andy Benes, Mattingly cranked a thunderous solo shot of his own to put New York back into the lead, as Yankees fans in attendance erupted with cheers for their beloved first baseman.
Mattingly's dinger knocked Benes out of the game, and the Yankees went on to win Game 2 by a score of 7-5, before ultimately falling in Game 5. Mattingly would retire without a postseason series win to his credit, but after a strong start to his managerial career, that achievement appears to be within reach for Donnie Baseball the skipper.
Check out Sierra & Mattingly's back-to-back jacks from this day in 1995 in the video below.
