ORLANDO, Fla. — Don Mattingly was much more than a face of one of the most disappointing eras of Yankees baseball era that included no World Series appearances, one that sandwiched Reggie Jackson’s Mr. October glory days and the Derek Jeter-led dynasty.

In his prime, Donnie Baseball was one of the best left-handed hitters in the majors. He hit for average and power. He won the 1985 AL MVP and went to six All-Star Games in a row. Nobody in American League played a better first base.

His path to all-time greatness stalled due to a degenerate back disc when Mattingly was still in his 20s. Most noticeably, he was robbed of his power. By age 34, his career was over.

His final numbers, which included a lifetime .307 average over 14 Yankees seasons from 1982-95, had Hall of Fame voters debating his Cooperstown case for years.

Was he great long enough?

Over and over, Mattingly fell short.

It happened again Sunday night when Mattingly was passed over on a Contemporary Baseball Era ballot.

Mattingly needed 12 votes from the committee of 16 to get the necessary 75 percent for election and obtained only six.

This has to be a huge disappointment for Mattingly, who received eight of 16 votes by a veterans committee in 2023.

Mattingly never came close during his 15 years on BBWAA ballots, topping out at 28.2 percent in 2001, his first year as a candidate. He’s now 0-for-4 in veterans committee ballots, leaving him 0-for-19 overall.

Former MVP Jeff Kent received 14 votes and was the lone candidate elected from an eight-man ballot.

Besides Mattingly, six others were passed over: Two all-time greats who are linked to steroids — single-season and all-time home run king Barry Bonds and seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens — plus Carlos Delgado, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela.

Delgado was second in the voting with nine votes – three shy of election – Mattingly and Murphy were third with six each and the others received fewer than five votes.

By receiving more than five votes, only Mattingly, Delgado and Murphy remain eligible for consideration when the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee votes again in 2028 for the class of 2029.

The Hall of Fame door is closed for one cycle for Bonds and Clemens.

The voters included seven Hall of Fame players — Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Juan Marichal, Tony Perez, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammel and Robin Yount — as well as league executives Mark Attanasio, Doug Melvin, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Tony Reagins and Terry Ryan; veteran baseball writers Tyler Kepner and Jayson Stark; and historian Steve Hirdt.

Kent will be inducted next July 26 on Hall of Fame weekend along with anyone elected on the 2026 BBWAA ballot. Voting for the writers’ ballot ends on Dec. 31 and final results will be announced on Jan 20. Returning candidates Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones have the best shot for election.

Mattingly, who turns 65 in April, was elected two months after he made it to the World Series for first time as the bench coach for the American League champion Blue Jays, Toronto beat out the Yankees for the AL East title on a tiebreaker, then then beat them in a best-of-five Division Series that ended in four games.

As a player, Mattingly broke in with the Yankees in 1982 — the year after they won a third pennant in five years — and he retired in 1995, the year before the franchise began a run of five championships and seven World Series appearances in 14 years.

From 1984-89, his first six full seasons, he averaged 27 homers, 43 doubles and 114 RBIs while hitting .327.

In his final six seasons, he batted .286 while averaging only 10 homers, 28 doubles and 49 RBIs due to his back issues.

Mattingly only made it to the playoffs once as a player, his last season, and he put on a show batting .417 with a homer in a best-of-five ALCS with the Mariners that went the distance.

Later, Mattingly was part of Yankees and Dodgers postseason teams as a coach for Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, then he replaced Torre in LA and won NL West titles in the last five of his five seasons. He also skippered the small-market Marlins to the playoffs once in seven seasons, winning NL Manager of the Year honors in 202, before joining the Blue Jays staff.

Now a free agent, Mattingly is expected to join the Phillies coaching staff next season. His son Preston is the Phillies general manager.

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