Fans rejoice as Don Mattingly reaches his first World Series

The Toronto Blue Jaysfor the first time after 31 years, they are back in World Series thanks to a 4-3 ALCS Game 7 triumph over the Seattle Mariners. George Springer is a hero for what seems like the gazillionth time in October, as he was the one who hit the three-run home run that was enough to snap the Blue Jays’ fall classic drought.

Springer is one of the few members on a roster that has plenty of experience in October. He now has 23 career home runs and is a former World Series champion (although the circumstances surrounding the Houston Astros’ 2017 World Series triumph are full of controversy). As a result of his heroics, many Blue Jays will soon experience what it’s like to play in the World Series for the first time.

Joining those who will now experience what it’s like to compete in the Fall Classic is bench coach Don Mattingly, who, while an MLB player from 1982-1995 and a coach since 2003, has never been part of a World Series team. This is a significant milestone in the 64-year-old manager’s career, and many are celebrating that he could now try the World Series – against the team he previously managed in the Los Angeles Dodgers, no less.

“Happy for Don Mattingly. Donnie Baseball is going to his first World Series,” X user @ToniDasco wrote.

“Don Mattingly going to the World Series for the first time seems unreal. Very happy to be with Blue Jays”, @jjchateauneuf he added.

“Potentially Don Mattingly winning a World Series ring with the Blue Jays after playing, coaching or managing for the Yankees and Dodgers for 25 years would be absolutely crazy haha,” @lundinbridge further.

Will Don Mattingly finally break through with the Blue Jays?

Just to illustrate how unlucky Mattingly was from a World Series perspective during his career, the Yankees made it to the World Series in 1981, the season before he broke into the big leagues, and won it all in 1996, a year after he retired. If that’s not the very definition of rotten luck, then nothing else comes close.

Mattingly was also the manager of the Dodgers before they really broke out as a powerhouse under current manager Dave Roberts. But, of course, the past is never an iron indicator of the future. Is this the year Mattingly’s luck finally turns around?