Should the Dodgers beat the Giants on Wednesday night and clinch their second straight NL West Division title, nobody in Elysian Park will be getting any sleep.
But, one person who you’re not likely to see partying like it’s 2013, when the team came back from the dead to take the crown, is Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly.
Just a few hours before his team hit the field against the Giants, Mattingly talked about the need for the Dodgers to stay humble, especially if they achieve their goal against their rival.
“If we’re able to do this tonight, or at some point, to me you want to stay humble because you’ve got a good chance of playing them again,” Mattingly said. “They’re a championship team. You expect them to move forward. I know we expect them to move forward.”
The Giants are currently in the second Wild Card spot in the National League, 4 1/2 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers.
So, while his team will be bathing in Cristal and Coors Light in the locker room, should they win tonight, Mattingly will likely keep his celebration level to somewhere between watching his kid cross the stage at their high school graduation and getting a check from the Publisher’s Clearing House.
But, he did admit he is a fan of the grandiose team celebration.
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“I like seeing them, to be honest with you. I like watching other teams. Obviously, being able to do it a number of times it’s a good feeling. I think it’s a culmination of a lot of things that you worked for,” he said.
Just the mere conversation on the matter made Mattingly visibly uncomfortable. Always the consummate professional in uniform, whether on the field during his New York playing past, or running the on-field operation in Los Angeles during his managerial present, the 53-year-old just wants to get the job done and move on to their bigger goal - winning a championship.
“If we can accomplish something that we’re going to be very proud of...I don’t feel like there’s a real need to make somebody else look bad during the celebration,” he said.
