Nov 18, 2009 1:58 pm US/Pacific
Mike Scioscia Awarded AL Manager Of The Year
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
Jim Tracy of Colorado won the NL
Manager of the Year award on Wednesday - and earned a new contract, too
- while Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels was selected for the AL
honor.
Tracy became the second manager to
win the award after taking over during the season, joining Jack McKeon
for Florida in 2003. Less than an hour after the award was announced,
the Rockies said Tracy had been rewarded with a three-year contract.
"One guy doesn't win an award like this," Tracy said in a conference call. "The Colorado Rockies won this award."
Tracy received 29 first-place votes
and two seconds for 151 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers'
Association of America. Scioscia got 15 first-place votes, 10 seconds
and one third for 106 points.
The Rockies promoted Tracy from bench
coach after Clint Hurdle was fired in late May and won the wild-card
race. Scioscia kept the Angels going after the death of pitcher Nick
Adenhart, and they won their fifth AL West title in six years.
"Some things, you're never prepared
for," Scioscia said. "But those things really weren't about us. They
were about the Adenhart family and I think as we supported them we
found some peace."
Ron Gardenhire finished second in the
AL voting for the second straight year and fifth time during his eight
seasons as Minnesota manager. He also placed third in 2002, when
Scioscia was honored for the first time, but has never won the award.
Tony La Russa of the Cardinals, a four-time winner, was a distant
second in the NL with 55 points.
Lou Piniella of the Cubs and Joe Maddon of the Rays were honored last year.
Colorado was 18-28 and 14 1/2 games
behind NL West-leading Los Angeles when Tracy was promoted from bench
coach following Hurdle's dismissal on May 29. The Rockies responded to
Tracy's steady hand, going 74-42 the rest of the way and taking the
division race to the final weekend before settling for the wild card.
There was no Rocktober this year -
Colorado lost to Philadelphia in the division series - but it was still
quite the turnaround for the club and Tracy, who was fired after
leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 68-94 record in 2007.
The 53-year-old Tracy was out of baseball before becoming the Rockies' bench coach in November 2008.
Scioscia managed the Angels to their
third consecutive division title during one of his most difficult
seasons in the dugout. Los Angeles has earned six postseason berths in
the last eight years under Scioscia, who was a catcher for the Dodgers
for 13 seasons and retired in 1994.
The Angels used 14 starting pitchers
and played without sluggers Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero for long
stretches due to injuries. The team's biggest challenge was moving past
the sorrow it felt when Adenhart was killed in a car accident in April.
Scioscia, who turns 51 on Nov. 27,
was credited for giving his players time to grieve while gently
insisting on accountability as an early slump lingered. Los Angeles
responded by surging to another division title and making it to the AL
championship series, eliminating postseason nemesis Boston along the
way.
"They emerged as a terrific club as the summer wore on," Scioscia said.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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