Dodgers vs Yankees Live Stream Free: Watch Online As Yankee Great Don Mattingly Returns to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx

One of the greatest players in Yankee history is returning to the Bronx, the New York City borough where he became famous as the captain of the Yankees as he leads his Dodgers for a two-game series against the Yankees.

Mattingly never won a World Series with the New York Yankees, but he'll forever be remembered as one of the greatest players in the team's storied history.

"Donnie Baseball" can expect to hear that appreciation for a  Wednesday doubleheader when the Dodgers visit the Bronx for the first time since clinching the 1981 World Series.

Mattingly, a six-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner and the 1985 AL MVP, had his No. 23 retired to Monument Park after playing his entire 14-year career with the Yankees. The former first baseman never made it to the World Series, though, hanging it up in 1995, right before the Yankees' run of four titles in five seasons, as reported by espn.com.

Mattingly returned to the Yankees in 2004 as a coach under Joe Torre, but the Yankees failed to advance to the World Series in his four seasons on the bench.

Mattingly, many thought, would replace Torre after the team's longtime manager turned down a one-year offer, but Yankees brass opted for Joe Girardi.

Mattingly left the Yankees and spent the next three seasons as one of Torre's coaches with the Dodgers before taking over as manager in 2011.

His only appearance at the new Yankee Stadium was in 2010 for the unveiling of a plaque commemorating late owner George Steinbrenner.

"(Yankees management) treated me fairly I thought," Mattingly told MLB.com. "Things work out for a reason. That would have been really bad timing for me. Terrible. I was going through some personal stuff that would have been miserable trying to manage for the first time and have that going on. So, that was a blessing in disguise.

"Coming to L.A. has been great, and obviously there's been a lot of turmoil this year, but I love what I'm doing and I like being in L.A."

Girardi expects Mattingly's two-game return to New York to be a positive experience.

"I know I've always loved him and appreciated what he's done, and I know the fans have seen a lot more than I have," Girardi said. "I think it'll be a great day for him."

The Yankees (38-31) are back home following a 4-6 trip that ended with Sunday's 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

The Yankees, three back of AL East-leading Boston, will face Hyun-Jin Ryu (6-2, 2.85 ERA) in the opener. He'll have had five days' rest Tuesday, and he's 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA in four starts with that time in between starts.

New York opens with Phil Hughes (3-5, 4.89) trying to bounce back from one of his worst outings of the season. The right-hander walked a career high-tying five in 4 1/3 innings of Wednesday's 5-2 loss at Oakland.

Hughes allowed only an unearned run over seven at Seattle in his previous outing.

"(Putting together consecutive quality starts is) something that he's going through right now," Girardi told the Yankees' official website. "He needs to figure that out for us."