LOS ANGELES — The only shadow on Dodger Stadium on a recent picturesque 80-degree morning was the one that has followed Don Mattingly through 14 years as one of the best players in baseball and an additional four as a major-league manager. Stretching from first base in New York to the dugout in Los Angeles is a shivery, dark truth: For all his diligence as a student of baseball and a Sherpa of high-priced talent, Mattingly has never graced a World Series.
Starting with a division series against the Mets, Mattingly can end two droughts, his own and the Dodgers’ streak of 26 seasons without a World Series appearance.