ORLANDO – The Hit Man has missed the Hall of Fame cut once again. Don Mattingly, who starred for the Yankees from 1982-1995, fell short of election into Cooperstown on Sunday. The former first baseman, who has held numerous coaching and managerial gigs since his playing career ended, was on the Ha ll of Fame’s Contemporary Baseball Era ballot, which featured candidates whose primary contributions to the game have come since 1980. Former Met Jeff Kent, one of the best second basemen of all time, was elected off the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot. Two other former Yankees, Roger Clemens and Gary Sheffield, were also candidates. So were Barry Bonds, Carlos Delgado, Dale Murphy and Fernando Valenzuela. Bonds, Clemens and Sheffield were all connected to performance-enhancing drugs during their careers. A 16-person Contemporary Era Committee voted on the candidates, and 12 votes were required for election. Mattingly received six votes from the committee, which included Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Juan Marichal, Tony Pérez, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell and Robin Yount; major league executives Mark Attanasio, Doug Melvin, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Tony Reagins and Terry Ryan; and media/historians Steve Hirdt, Tyler Kepner and Jayson Stark. The full voting results were as follows: Kent (14 votes, 87.5%); Delgado (9 votes, 56.3%); Mattingly (6 votes, 37.5%); Murphy (6 votes, 37.5%); Bonds, Clemens, Sheffield and Valenzuela each received less than five votes. That Contemporary Era Committee determined that Mattingly, 64, was not worthy of baseball immortality after the Baseball Writers’ Association of America declined to elect him off its own ballot over the course of 15 tries from 2001-2015. He debuted on that ballot with 28.2% of the vote, a personal-best but well short of the 75% required for BBWAA candidates. Mattingly also failed to earn induction in 2018, 2020 and 2022 after appearing on various committee ballots. Named the Yankees’ captain in 1991, Donnie Baseball was a six-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glover and three-time Silver Slugger while playing exclusively in pinstripes. He won the American League’s batting title in 1984 and the MVP Award in 1985, but he is also one of the greatest Yankees to never win a World Series. After only making the playoffs in his final season, a championship has remained elusive in Mattingly’s post-playing career despite coming close several times as a coach and skipper. The most recent opportunity came this past season, as Mattingly was the Blue Jays’ bench coach. Toronto lost the Fall Classic to the Dodgers, whom Mattingly previously managed. Mattingly and the Jays have since parted ways. Hindered by back issues, Mattingly ended his playing days with a .307 average, .830 OPS, 222 home runs and 1,099 RBI. His 42.4 bWAR is higher than that of a few hitters already in the Hall of Fame, including Phil Rizzuto, Roy Campanella, Dave Parker and Bill Mazeroski. The Hall of Fame will announce results for the latest BBWAA ballot on Jan. 20, 2026. The 2026 Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which will include Kent, will take place on July 26. ...read more read less