On the day his brother Frank walked out of a hospital with a new heart, the New York Yankees’ Joe Torre shared the American League Manager of the Year award with the Texas Rangers’ Johnny Oates.
Torre, who guided the Yankees to the Eastern Division title, the American League pennant and the World Series championship, and Oates, who led the Rangers to the AL West title, each received 89 points, the Baseball Writers of America announced on Thursday.
Oates got 12 first-place votes, two more than Torre. Torre had 12 second-place votes to eight for Oates, who got five third-place points, two more than Torre.
It was just the fifth tie for an award from the Baseball Writers of America, who also select Most Valuable Players, Rookies of the Year and Cy Young winners. It was the first time the managerial award was shared.
Lou Piniella, the 1995 AL Manager of the Year, finished third with 35 points, including three first-place votes. Mike Hargrove of the Cleveland Indians was fourth with 22 points and two first-place votes, while Detroit Tigers manager Buddy Bell got the other first-place vote and finished fifth.
A magic number for Torre and Oates was 36. Oates got the Rangers into the postseason for the first time in the team’s 36-year history, while Torre made the World Series for the first time in his 36-year playing and managerial career.
New York fans embraced Torre, a 56-year-old Brooklyn native, because of the Yankees’ exploits on the field, and also because of his personal story.
His brother Rocco died during the season and his brother Frank received a heart transplant during the World Series and went home Thursday.
“It’s really magical. It’s unbelievable,” Torre said Thursday. “It’s probably the happiest time of my life. There’s a bizarre plan out there somewhere and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Oates, 50, led the Rangers to a 90-72 record and their first AL West title in his second season as the team’s manager.
“We did something no other Texas Rangers team has ever done before,” Oates said. “I know that going to spring training next year there’s one question I won’t have anymore.”
