Renteria winds up 2nd in AL manager voting
By the time Kevin Cash pulled Rays lefthander Blake Snell from the last game of the World Series, he had already been voted American League Manager of the Year. Even if he ended up losing the biggest prize. It was a Sunshine State sweep for skippers Tuesday, with the Marlins’ Don Mattingly joining Cash by winning National League Manager of the Year. Former White Sox manager Rick Renteria — who was the only finalist in either league not to appear on MLB Network’s awards show — finished second in the AL, and Cubs manager David Ross wound up third in the NL.
Long regarded as one of the bright young minds in the majors, Cash guided the thrifty Rays to an AL-best 40-20 record during the pandemic-shortened season. But he was roundly criticized for pulling a dominant Snell in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the World Series against the Dodgers.
‘‘Have I reflected on it? There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t reflect on it,’’ said Cash, who got 22 of 30 first-place votes. ‘‘Being in this position, we owe it to ourselves and, more importantly, our players to continue to reflect on those decisions.’’
After Snell exited, the Dodgers rallied against reliever Nick Anderson and went on to a 3-1 victory to clinch the World Series.
‘‘Yes, I would do it the same way all over again,’’ Cash said, laughing. ‘‘I would plead for a different outcome, that’s for sure.’’
Renteria finished second with five firstplace votes, nine second-place votes and nine third-place votes. The Blue Jays’ Charlie Montoyo finished third.
Mattingly, meanwhile, guided the Marlins to their first playoff berth since 2003 despite dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that paused their season and ravaged the roster. He got 20 first-place votes to easily outdistance the Padres’ Jayce Tingler and Ross, who got one first-place vote, two seconds and 14 thirds.
Mattingly, who was voted the AL most valuable player with the Yankees in 1985, became the fifth person to win MVP and Manager of the Year.
‘‘They’re just different,’’ Mattingly said. ‘‘The first one feels personal, and this one feels more like a team thing. That’s why I’m proud of it. We’ve struggled for a couple of years, and for us to move forward is important. I think this is a sign that we’re heading in [the right] direction.’’