Atlanta’s Snitker wins NL award

Brian Snitker, who guided Atlanta to a surprise division title in the NL East, won the National League Manager of the Year award Tuesday.

Snitker received 17 first-place votes, nine seconds and one third for 116 points, the only manager picked on every NL ballot.

Milwaukee’s Craig Counsell was second with 11 firsts and for 99 points. Colorado’s Bud Black was third with 41 points.

A baseball lifer who played in Atlanta’s minor-league system from 1977 through ’80, Snitker, 63, has spent 42 seasons with the Braves, managing at every level and serving as the big-league third-base coach from 2007 through ’13. He was managing at Triple-A Gwinnett but took over Atlanta in May 2016 when Fredi Gonzalez was fired after a 9-28 start. The Braves went 59-65 during the rest of the season, and Snitker was given the job full time.

Atlanta went 72-90, and then improved to 90-72 this year. The Braves lost to the Dodgers in a four-game Division Series.

MLB loses again in Japan:

Ryosuke Kikuchi drove in the go-ahead run on a squeeze bunt in a four-run ninth inning as Japan beat the MLB AllStars 5-3 on Tuesday in Hiroshima and took a 3-1 lead in their six-game exhibition series.

MLB led 3-1 when Kirby Yates walked leadoff batter Kazuki Tanaka, who stole second and scored on Seiji Uebayashi’s single just past the glove of diving shortstop Amed Rosario. Kosuke Tanaka hit a tying single, John Brebbia relieved and Kikuchi bunted up the line toward first baseman Carlos Santana for a sacrifice as Tanaka crossed the plate with a headfirst slide.

Mariners investigated:

MLB is investigating claims made against the Mariners by the team’s recently fired training and conditioning director, who said team management had disparaged Latino players.

The Mariners denied the allegations in a statement Monday following the social-media postings from Lorena Martin in which she claimed general manager Jerry Dipoto, manager Scott Servais and director of player development Andy McKay had called Latino players “lazy, dumb and stupid, especially the Dominicans.” Martin’s title with the team was director of high performance.

Kapler loses home:

Phillies manager Gabe Kapler is among the homeowners who lost their house in Southern California’s wildfires.

Kapler told the Athletic that his ex-wife and two sons lived in the Malibu house and evacuated last week. A friend sent him photos over the weekend showing only a steel staircase remained of the property, about a mile from the Pacific Ocean.