The 40-year-old Minnesota Twin became just the eighth major league player to reach the milestone, adding his name to a list of greats including Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Willie Mays (660). The achievement will warm the hearts of traditionalists, coming through the so-called ‘steroids era’ of baseball without a hint of controversy tainting Thome’s image as an honest, old-fashioned slugger.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound native of Peoria, Illinois, is just a down-home guy with a bundle of national athletic ability. Thome is shown here hitting his 600th home run. Recent inductees to the 600-club have been dogged by admissions or allegations of having used performance-enhancing drugs, including Barry Bonds (762), Sammy Sosa (609) and current New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (626).

Thome, untainted like Ken Griffey Jr. (630) who retired last season, was more of a throwback player. He wears his socks pulled up high in the old style and his hair cut short, with his bulging forearms warning opposing pitchers to keep the ball away from the barrel of his bat.

What he lacked in glamour, soft-spoken Thome made up in integrity and determination as he battled injuries, including a chronic back problem that made it a struggle for him to reach the goal in his 21st major league season. Pictured here, Thome is congratulated by his Minnesota teammates after clouting his 600th homer.

Thome began his career with the Cleveland Indians in 1991 and moved on to the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox and had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers before ending up at the Twins.

Thome was selected by the Indians in the 13th round of the 1989 MLB Draft and quickly proved to be a bargain. He hit .340 with 16 home runs combined in two minor league stops in 1990, and batted .319 the next year, leading to a September call-up by Cleveland as a 21-year-old third baseman.

Thome split the next two seasons between the minors and the big league team before reaching the majors for good in 1994, hitting 20 homers and following that with 25, 38 and 40.

In 1997, the left-hander switched to first base after the Indians traded for third baseman Matt Williams and he became an All-Star at the position for the next three seasons.

Thome, who once smashed a 511-foot home run for the longest blast ever recorded in Cleveland, helped the Indians reach the World Series in 1995 and 1997 and bashed 49 homers for them in 2001 and 52 the following year.

In 2003, he signed a six-year, $85 million free-agent deal to join the Phillies and in his first season hit 47 home runs, one short of Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt’s franchise record. He followed that with a 42 home run season, before an elbow injury led to mid-season surgery. His replacement at first base, Ryan Howard, went on to Rookie of the Year honors and a suddenly expendable Thome was dealt to Chicago.

Thome resumed his slugging ways as designated hitter for the White Sox, belting 42 homers with a .288 batting average in 2006 and followed that with 35 home runs. With 25 members of his family and friends in attendance, the slugger connected for his 500th home run against the Angels to give Chicago a 9-7 walk-off victory in September 2007.

Following a late-season 2009 trade to help the Los Angeles Dodgers in a postseason bid, Thome joined the Twins in 2010, blasting the first walk-off hit at Minnesota’s new Target Field with a 445-foot rocket in the bottom of the 10th inning against his former team Chicago. That was the 12th walk-off home run of his career, bringing him level with all-time leaders Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson and Babe Ruth.

Thome has come a long way since Phillies manager Charlie Manuel taught him in the minors to open up his stance and harness his natural power. Ron Gardenhire, Thome’s manager with the Twins, said, “Every time he walks up there and starts taking a swing, you know the ball can fly.”

Photographs by Duane Burleson, Associated Press; Dave Reginek, Getty Images; and Duane Burleson, AP

Phillies Sign Jim Thome to One-year Contract

By The Sporting News

Jim Thome has signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. The deal is worth $1.25 million, according to CSNPhilly.com. Last year, Thome returned to Cleveland for a second go-round and now he will return to Philadelphia.

Thome, 41, played for the Phillies from 2003 to 2005 after signing a six-year deal worth $85 million in December of 2002.

Thome is also very close with Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who was a big influence on Thome during their time together with the Cleveland Indians.

Rivera pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out Chris Parmelee on what appeared to be his signature cut fastball to end the New York Yankees’ 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday, September 19. Fans from the smallest crowd in the Stadium’s three-year history stood and shouted from Rivera’s first pitch to his last as he retired Trevor Plouffe, Michael Cuddyer and Parmelee in order and broke Trevor Hoffman’s mark.

They even roared in the bottom of the eighth when Nick Swisher grounded into an inning-ending double play – and drew a loud cheer from fans who wanted to see history made at the ballpark for the second time this summer. “These guys are into it,” Rivera thought to himself. In July, Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit at home.

It’s a remarkable achievement, considering the slender right-hander throws mostly one pitch. Opposing hitters have seen it for years, but still haven’t figured it out. “It’s amazing,” Cuddyer said. “You’ve got a 99 percent chance of knowing what’s coming, and he still is able to go out there and dominate."

So good for so long, Rivera has built a Hall of Fame-caliber career and been a pillar of five World Series championship teams. The only person who might not acknowledge Rivera isn’t the best closer of all time is Rivera himself. “You know me, I’m not like that,” Rivera said. “I like to be under the radar, do my job.”

He nearly did it outside the country. The 41-year-old Rivera tied Hoffman with save No. 601 on Saturday in Toronto. The AL East leaders lost Sunday, putting Rivera in line to get the milestone on the Yankees’ last home stand of the season.

“I want to congratulate Mariano Rivera on setting the all-time saves record,” Hoffman said in a statement. “It’s a great accomplishment and he is still going strong! I have tremendous respect for Mariano not just for his on-field accomplishments, but also for his service to the community.”

On Monday, the New York crowd hollered as Rivera came in to the customary strains of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” The fans grew louder with every strike, every out as Rivera closed in. He even broke a bat for good measure – sawing off Parmelee and sending the rookie back to the dugout for another piece of wood.

Parmelee lasted only one more pitch. Plate umpire John Hirschbeck “rung him up,” and catcher Russell Martin came out to the mound, gently placed the ball in Rivera’s glove, and then gave the skinny Panamanian a big hug.

Rivera stayed and accepted congratulations – Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and finally Jeter came over to him before the bullpen and bench got there while the Twins watched from their dugout. “I think it shows what he means to baseball, what he’s done,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “I also think it shows the class of the Minnesota Twins.”

Eventually, the Twins went back to their lockers and the Yankees did, too. That meant Rivera was left on the mound. He tried to sneak off the field with them, but longtime teammate Jorge Posada pushed him, laughing, onto the mound, where fans cheered him once again.

And who would’ve thought it, at least back in 1995 when Rivera started out. He began his career as a starter, lasting only 3 1/3 innings and losing 10-0 to the Angels in his debut, before becoming a star in the bullpen. He posted his first save in 1996, working usually as a setup man for John Wetteland.

Rivera’s 602 saves have come in 674 chances. Hoffman got his 601 in 677 tries. “Thank God it’s over, too. Because I was getting a little uncomfortable,” Rivera said.

Kershaw is the 13th pitcher to lead his league in those three categories since the Cy Young Award was instituted in 1956, and all 13 have been granted pitching’s biggest prize, including the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander.

Runner-up Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies received four first-place votes while team mate Cliff Lee finished third. Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ian Kennedy, who tied Kershaw for the NL lead in victories and finished fourth in Cy Young voting, received the other first-place vote.

Kershaw, 23, finished the Major League Baseball season on an eight-game winning streak en route to becoming the youngest Cy Young Award winner since 20-year-old Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets took home the prize in 1985. Kershaw was 5-0 against the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, going 4-0 with a 0.30 ERA in head-to-head matchups with Tim Lincecum, the 2008 and 2009 winner.

“I’m extremely thankful and humbled by this award,” said Kershaw. “The company that I’m in now, just to be mentioned with some of those guys, I’m just in awe. I never thought I’d be here.”

It was the 10th Cy Young won by the Dodgers, following Don Newcombe (1956), Don Drysdale (1962), Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965 and 1966), Mike Marshall (1974), Orel Hershiser (1988) and Eric Gagne (2003).

Halladay, who was vying for his third Cy Young, went 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA and 220 strikeouts, ranking second and third in the latter two categories. He threw an NL-high eight complete games, finished with the second-most innings (233 2/3) and was fourth in WHIP – walks plus hits per nine innings – with a 1.04 mark. Kershaw led the league in that department at 0.98.

"Kershaw’s ability to overwhelm hitters was hardly a mystery despite his youth,” wrote Jorge L. Ortiz in USA TODAY. “In the last three seasons, he has ranked first, fifth and second in the majors in opponents’ batting average with marks of .200 in 2009, .214 in 2010 and .207 last season.”

This year Kershaw continued that mastery while dramatically decreasing his walks – from 3.6 per nine innings to 2.1 – and pitching a career-high 233 1/3 innings.

Bautista led the major leagues in home runs (43), slugging percentage (.608) and walks (132).

Kemp narrowly missed winning the Triple Crown, leading the National League in home runs (39) and runs batted in (126) while finishing third in batting average (.324).

Bautista was the first American league player since Babe Ruth in 1930 to record at least 40 home runs, 130 walks and nine stolen bases in the same year.

The Blue Jays slugger also won the award last year with a breakout 2010 season in which he hammered 54 home runs and batted in 124, and was able to silence those who did not believe he could follow it up.

“More satisfying to me was just to be able to get on the field and be out there with my team mates and contribute on a daily basis to try to help the team win games,” said Bautista. “It’s not really my goal to prove anybody wrong or to come out and show the critics wrong.”

Despite Kemp’s offensive fireworks, the Dodgers missed the playoffs after finishing 82-79. “Your goal is to make it to the playoffs and to get a chance to make it to the World Series,” said Kemp, pictured here being greeted by shortstop Dee Gordon after hitting a home run.

“Unfortunately our team wasn’t as good as some of these other teams that made the playoffs this year, but you want to showcase your talents.” “It was just one of those years that didn’t happen,” said Kemp. “There’s always next year.”

The winners were selected through a combination of fan vote and a panel of Hall of Famers, including Roberto Alomar, Tony Gwynn, Paul Molitor and Hank Aaron.

Four photographers were clustered nearby, discussing their own challenges under pressure. One photographer said, “I got the catch,” and a colleague – maybe even a rival – gave him a fist bump. It’s easy to focus on the mound or the batter’s box, but once the batter swings, who knows where the ball is going to go?

Some of the greatest moments in postseason baseball have taken place after the deliberate pitch and the reactive swing. Granderson, who is smooth on the field and off, made two very different catches to stave off trouble as the Yankees stayed alive with a 10-1 thumping of the Tigers on Tuesday night.

Granderson overcame his own false step forward to snag Don Kelly’s bases-loaded smash to end the first inning. That change, of course, was sheer terror on Granderson’s part, and is no doubt the most important reason everybody is trooping back to the Bronx on Thursday night.

But Granderson also reacted with a long race into left-center field to haul in Jhonny Peralta’s bid for a gapper in the sixth inning, while the game was still within reach. Granderson made the play with an elbows-and-knees dive that may have also included his chin, as the entire stadium saw the white ball vanish into the glove.

The two catches put Granderson in the category of fielders who have had epic moments in the autumn. Perhaps in a separate category – mind over matter – were plays performed by No. 1 and No. 2 of the Yankees.

Billy Martin chased down Jackie Robinson’s wind-blown pop-up in the 1952 World Series, because nobody else did. And Derek Jeter knew enough to wander past the first-base line to corral the loose throw and toss out Slide-Jeremy-Slide Giambi at the plate. (Jeter, now a poor old feller of 37, was up to his old tricks last Saturday, when he grabbed the relay and made a terrific throw home to nab the Tigers’ Alex Avila.)

Outfield catches are a different art form because they take long seconds to develop. Some of the greatest defensive plays in the postseason include: Kirby Puckett’s elevating his 5 feet 8 inches against the plexiglass to haul down Ron Gant’s long drive in the sixth game of the 1991 World Series; Paul O’Neill, tight hamstring and all, going back, back, back to catch Luis Polonia’s shot to right-center in the ninth inning of the fifth World Series game in 1996. (The Yankees coach Jose Cardenal had just waved O’Neill farther over toward center, seeing that Polonia was swinging late on John Wetteland’s fastball.)

Going back further in time are gems like Mickey Mantle’s race to grab Gil Hodges’s line drive during Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956, Ron Swoboda’s dive on Brooks Robinson’s smash in 1969, Sandy Amoros’s tracking down of Yogi Berra’s slice to left field in 1955, when Next Year finally arrived for Brooklyn; Al Gionfriddo’s similar catch off Joe DiMaggio in 1947; and Willie Mays’s chasing down of Vic Wertz’s long shot into the canyon of center field of the Polo Grounds in 1954.

Admittedly, Granderson’s two plays took place in the first round of what could be called the playoffs, not quite the same thing as catches in the singular majesty of the old-fashioned World Series. But great catches are great catches.

Granderson was the first to admit he made the Kelly catch more difficult than it needed to be.

“Right away I thought he hit it right to me,” Granderson said. “I took a step in and froze. It started to get some air. At least for my perspective, it kind of went up. I was, like, ‘Oh man.’ I was able to go ahead and not be committed one away or the other. I ended up having to leave my feet, which I didn’t want to. I ended up reeling it in finally at the end. Don Kelly came up to me later in the game. He goes, ‘How did you do it?’” Granderson told Kelly that his big mistake was hitting the ball too hard.

The second catch, on Peralta, was made more difficult because of Granderson’s positioning. “I felt he was a guy that was going to hit the ball to the right-center gap, so that’s where I was shading him,” he said. “Sure enough, he ended up hitting the ball to the left-center gap. So I ended up having to go a lot further for it. Looked at Brett Gardner, he wasn’t there yet. So I decided to lay out for it. Ended up holding onto the ball." “The reason I was slow getting up,” Granderson continued, “I ended up knocking the wind out of myself and I think I hit my head a little bit because I had a little headache afterwards.”

The first catch probably saved three or even four runs and surely gave a boost to A.J. Burnett, the starter on a very short leash. Granderson liked the second catch better because it did not begin with a mistake. His proud response was a mirror into the heart of a professional. For that matter, so was eavesdropping on photographers, talking shop about great defensive plays at a time of year when they matter most.

The splitter was also one of the stars of October, with power throwers such as Clemens, Morris and Oakland’s Dave Stewart riding it to World Series glory. It turned Mike Scott from merely another guy into a Cy Young Award winner and helped Bruce Sutter become one of the game’s great closers. Pictured here in 1983, Craig, then the Tigers’ pitching coach, assists Dan Petry in demonstrating the correct grip of the split-finger fastball.

“Everyone was throwing that pitch,” said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, who was a catcher for the Dodgers in the 1980s. “It was the pitch of the ‘80s just like the pitch of the ‘60s was a slider.”

If many pitching coaches and executives across the league have their way, it is also a pitch that is seeing its last days. Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay, the Angels’ Dan Haren and Boston’s Jonathan Papelbon are among the pitchers who still have it in their arsenals, but concerns about the strain it can put on a pitcher’s arm are prompting some teams to ban their prospects from throwing it.

The Angels, the Twins, the Giants, the Reds, the Padres and the Rays are among the many major league teams that discourage their pitchers from developing a splitter, citing health reasons as well as the belief that throwing it too much can reduce the velocity of a pitcher’s fastball. “I always thought that if thrown properly with the fingers really split like a forkball, that’s when you can get hurt because there’s no resistance against the ball being thrown and it really put a lot of pressure on the elbow,” Rays Manager Joe Maddon said. “But it’s not just about them getting hurt. They’ll never develop their other pitches because they’ll always get guys out with that pitch.”

A split-finger fastball is thrown with the same arm-action of a regular fastball, but the pitcher’s index and middle finger are spread wide to cradle the ball. As Craig demonstrates here, the grip causes the ball to tumble quickly down in the strike zone, tempting hitters to chase it in the dirt.

“You can just take your fingers and the more you put them apart, the more you put stress on the elbow,” the Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said. “It’s a pitch we really try to shy off of.”

And those who still use it do so cautiously. “I’ve never abused it,” Haren said. “I don’t throw it too much in between starts, and even during the course of the game I throw it 20-25 times. If you think about it, every five days, throwing it 25 times isn’t too bad – not abusing it.” When Craig was teaching it to anyone who would listen in the ‘80s, the splitter was billed as a safe off-speed alternative for those who struggle to master the nuances of the changeup.

“It’s a wild pitch waiting to happen, but it’s also devastating on the hitter if you can learn to control it, especially a closer or setup guy,” said the Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti, who was on Craig’s staff in the early ‘90s. “Those guys make a lot of money.”

But as the years wore on and more pitchers adopted the splitter, it started to become apparent that it could have significant consequences. Splitter-heavy pitchers who have developed shoulder and elbow problems include Bryan Harvey, Rod Beck and John Smoltz, who took a break from throwing his splitter after experiencing elbow pain.

“I think there is a correlation between some stresses put on the arms – some guys have had elbow problems, forearm problems, shoulder problems – and that pitch,” Scioscia said.

Now more than ever, teams are more worried about protecting their pitchers’ arms. Pitch counts and five-man rotations are recent developments aimed at preserving those valuable commodities.

Many pitching coaches and minor-league instructors are urging their younger prospects to focus on the straight changeup over the splitter even though it is not quite as effective. “The change-of-pace is the most overlooked pitch in a young pitcher’s repertoire,” said Red Adams, who was the pitching coach for Walter Alston of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1970s. “In throwing a change-up,” said Adams, “many pitchers like to grip the ball back in the palm of the hand. The fingertips are raised slightly as the ball is released. There is greater pressure on the second row of knuckles of the first two fingers. These fingers straighten out.”

The longtime Padres pitching coach Daren Balsley does not have a pitcher who throws a split-finger fastball. “There’s a lot of occasions I look at one of our pitchers and say, man, if he could throw a split it would really help him out a lot,” Balsley said. “But you just want to avoid injuries at all costs.”

“I’m not even saying there’s proven data that a split-finger hurts somebody, but it’s always in the back of your mind or in the back of their mind that this might not be a good idea and let’s work on a changeup instead.”

Now it is viewed as more of “a pitch of last resort” – for the veteran trying to hang on for a few more years or for the prospect that desperately needs it to get to the next level.

“There’s a fairly strong feeling that we’re not going to teach anybody the split-finger at the early stage,” the Reds pitching coach Bryan Price said. “It’s more for a guy that’s less-defined at the higher levels that hasn’t had as much success. We think that maybe it has some intangibles to pitch in the big leagues, and it’s a good addition pitch to maybe get them over the hump to be a big league pitcher, but, in early development, no.”

Not every team in the league is shying away from the splitter. The Chicago White Sox and the pitching coach Don Cooper say it is all about throwing it with the proper technique.

Most hitters certainly would not be sorry to see the splitter go. Jim Thome said he is definitely seeing fewer and fewer of them in year No. 20 than he did early on in his career, and Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer thinks more pitchers are going to cutters and sinkers instead.

“You don’t see it as much,” Cuddyer said. “Some guys have it and that’s their bread and butter and what they go by. If they blow out that way, they’re going to blow out doing it with their best pitch. You don’t see the splitter as much as you used to.”

Baseball fundamentals seemed almost foreign to the Rangers, the little things, such as throwing to the right base, advancing a runner with a groundout or taking an extra base that winning teams consistently do. Washington’s baseball education began in his native New Orleans, who as a coach and manager has built a reputation as a teacher. In essence, he accepted a teaching position when he became manager of the Rangers. “I came up through the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Dodgers organizations,” said the 59-year-old former big league infielder.

“They’ve always been organizations that believed in completeness, and that’s doing everything that the game says you have to do, play defense, pitch, run the bases, and try to look for opportunities to take advantage of. When an opportunity presented itself to me to be the manager of a ballclub, I had to put my stamp on it. And my stamp is what I learned through all my years in the game.”

Washington’s reliance on fundamentals had the Rangers in their second consecutive World Series. Texas lost to the San Francisco Giants a year ago and this fall came within one out of winning the 2011 World Series. Despite the setbacks, Washington has never wavered in his philosophy. “We certainly had to change the culture and a lot of the attitudes and get back to the basics and doing things the right way,” said Washington. “I knew I could transform a team into playing the game the way I envisioned. I’m a fundamentalist, with respect for the game, and we made our players believe in it.”

“Number one, you’ve got to pitch,” he said. “It comes into play every single day. Number two, you have to play defense. Those are two parts of the game I feel should never take a day off. Good pitching stops hitting. And then the next thing you have to do is take advantage on the base paths,” said Washington. “I was a speed guy. The organizations I was in were speed people, and everywhere I’ve been in this game, it’s been a part of my game.”

Having absorbed Washington’s lessons in fundamentals, the Rangers not only can win with hitting, but they can win low-scoring games decided by pitching and execution on defense and on the bases. Washington, shown here, congratulates pitcher Derek Holland during Game 6 of the World Series in St. Louis.

Indeed, Washington is old-school. He is a firm believer in discipline, in playing the game the right way. He’s a firm believer in respect for the game. “Baseball was always in my blood as long as I can remember,” said Washington. “I just had a great passion for it.”

Washington played in the majors with Baltimore, Cleveland and Houston from 1987 through 1989 before his playing career ended in the minors in 1990. In 564 big-league games in 10 seasons, he batted .261 with 20 homers, 22 triples, 65 doubles and 146 RBIs.

On his retirement as a player, Washington jumped directly into coaching, spending five seasons in the New York Mets’ organization. His only managing job before he took over the Rangers was with the Mets’ team in the Class A South Atlantic league in 1993 and 1994.

In 1996, Washington returned to the majors as a coach with the Oakland Athletics. He earned a reputation as one of the game’s best infield instructors in his 11 seasons with the A’s, who made the playoffs in five of those seasons and led the league in fielding twice. Players connected with Washington. Third baseman Eric Chavez, who won six gold gloves during Washington’s time with the A’s, gave his third gold glove to his coach.

Ron Maestri, executive director/CEO of the New Orleans, isn’t surprised at Washington’s success. Maestri and Washington have been friends since the early 1980s. “Ron had to earn everything he got,” Maestri said. “He was the kind of guy who had to do the little things. He’s renowned as a teacher and an instructor.”

“Ron has seen the ups and downs,” said Maestri. “He has handled the ups and downs. That’s invaluable for a manager. You have to be able to handle people. The greatest thing about Ron Washington, I haven’t heard a person in professional baseball at all levels say a bad thing about him.”

Gibson guided Arizona to a worst-to-first finish in his first full season as a big league manager. Gibson directed the Diamondbacks to a last-to-first turnaround with a no-nonsense approach that demanded aggressive play and attention to fundamentals. “They bought into it, they stayed with it, they were dedicated, they never wavered and really enjoyed it,” Gibson said of his charges. “They played the game the right way.”

As a player I was a guy who never gave in, even when things didn’t look good,” Gibson said. “I tried to get the team to buy into that, try to get them to move on from negativity, mistakes, and try to find a way to win the game. We did that many, many times this year.”

Less fiery but just as intense as in his playing days, Gibson got the most out of talented young players like Justin Upton, Chris Young and Miguel Montero, pushing them to reach their potential. Upton and Montero made the All-Star Game.

After revamping the bullpen under new general manager Kevin Towers, the Diamondbacks claimed the NL West crown despite a $54 million Opening Day payroll that ranked sixth lowest in the majors. Arizona improved by 29 games over the previous season, from 65-97 to 94-68, tied for the third-best turnaround in the majors since 1998.

Maddon won for the second time. The Rays’ path to the postseason was even more dramatic than when they won their first AL East title by two games in 2008, for which Maddon also earned Manager of the Year honors. The Rays closed with a 17-8 rush and took the wild card on the final day of the season after coming back from an eighth-inning 7-0 deficit against the New York Yankees.

The ever-upbeat Maddon kept the Rays focused on a playoff spot even as they fell nine games behind the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card race in early September.

“Everybody was bemoaning the fact we had to play the Red Sox and the Yankees so often,” said Maddon. “As September began, you noticed things weren’t working out in Boston and our guys just started believing more and more every day.”

Milwaukee’s Ron Roenicke finished second in the NL voting and Tony La Russa of the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals was third. Jim Leyland of Detroit was second in the AL and Ron Washington of Texas was third. Voting was completed after the regular season.