<\/p>\n
Kyle Schwarber had praise for Don Mattingly after the Philadelphia Phillies<\/a>\u2019 season ended Thursday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n Following a 6-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves<\/a> in the deciding game of the NL Wild Card Series, Schwarber pointed to the interim manager<\/a>\u2019s steady approach through a difficult year.<\/p>\n NBC Sports Philadelphia shared Schwarber\u2019s postgame comments on X, formerly Twitter, early Friday. When speaking about Mattingly taking over<\/a> in April, the Phillies star slugger had this to say:<\/p>\n “Even when things got hard, the way that he was able to keep things at even-keel pace for us. I think that was huge.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The endorsement came after Mattingly led the Phillies back<\/a> to the postseason from a 9-19 start. He replaced Rob Thomson on April 28, and the Phillies went 79-55 under him in the regular season to finish 88-74. Their playoff run ended in three games at Truist Park.<\/p>\n Schwarber did his part<\/a> to extend the season. In Game 2, his solo homer in the eighth cut a 3-1 deficit to 3-2, Bryce Harper followed with the homer that tied it, and Alec Bohm won it in the 10th. Atlanta took control early in Game 3, though, on Michael Harris II\u2019s three-run homer in the first inning. Ozzie Albies added a two-run shot in the fourth, and Matt Olson homered in the seventh.<\/p>\n Schwarber\u2019s remarks reaffirmed his support for the manager at a consequential moment. Mattingly held the job on an interim basis throughout the turnaround, and Philadelphia has not announced who<\/a> will manage the club in 2027.<\/p>\n President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 22 that the Phillies would wait until<\/a> their season ended before deciding Mattingly\u2019s future. That point has now arrived, though the postseason defeat has given the club little time to make its decision.<\/p>\n The Braves advance to face the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> in the NL Division Series. The Phillies, meanwhile, must assess a season that recovered from a disastrous start but ended in the wild-card round. Schwarber made clear what Mattingly contributed<\/a> along the way: a consistent presence when the club needed one.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nSchwarber\u2019s support comes as Phillies weigh Mattingly\u2019s future<\/h2>\n