Nationals' Williams wins Manager of the Year award
(Reuters) - Rookie skipper Matt Williams was named National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday after leading the Washington Nationals to the best record in the league. Williams, a former major league third baseman, piloted the Nationals to a 96-66 record that gave them the NL East title by a commanding 17 games -- the widest margin in the majors. The Washington manager received 18 first-place votes, with runner-up Clint Hurdle of the Pittsburgh Pirates garnering eight in the voting by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Williams became the fourth rookie manager to win the award, following Joe Girardi (Florida 2006), Dusty Baker (San Francisco 1993) and Hal Lanier (Houston 1986). San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who steered his team to a wild card playoff berth on his way to winning the World Series, was third after receiving three first-place votes. Voting took place before the postseason, so Bochy's run to the Fall Classic title did not figure in the results. Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond received the other first-place vote. (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by ......)
