ATLANTA -- Walt Weiss’s great first season as the Braves' manager wasn’t enough to prevent Brewers skipper Pat Murphy from achieving history.
Murphy became the first to win three consecutive Manager of the Year Awards when he was named the National League’s recipient yet again on Tuesday night. Weiss finished second and the Phillies' Don Mattingly finished third.
Murphy received 20 of the 30 first-place votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballots. Weiss received seven first-place votes, 16 second-place votes and three third-place votes. He was surprisingly not included on four ballots.
Considering the many pitfalls the Braves faced during Spring Training and throughout the regular season, it was remarkable that the team won 94 games and captured the NL East for the seventh time in the past nine years.
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Weiss repeatedly showed he had his players’ backs in more ways than one. The 62-year-old manager’s successful season was first highlighted on April 7, when he tackled Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler during a benches-clearing brawl. Atlanta’s players responded with a 20-6 stretch that enabled them to claim early command of the NL East.
The Braves lost four starting pitchers to injuries during Spring Training and one of their top right-handed hitters, Jurickson Profar, was given a 162-game suspension for PEDs before the season began. But the Braves sat atop the NL East standings from April 8 through the end of the season.
Ronald Acuña Jr. missed nearly two months because of two left hamstring strains and top setup man Robert Suárez missed most of the season’s final three months with a right elbow injury. But even as injuries continued to wreck his rotation depth, Weiss kept the ship afloat and provided his team a chance to finish strong.
Weiss’ club entered June with a nine-game division lead and then went 9-14 during what proved to be the season’s roughest month. The even-keeled manager’s refusal to show any sign of panic paid off when the Braves won 15 of their first 20 games after the All-Star break.
Weiss also had his team ready for what proved to be some of the season’s most important stretches. A three-game sweep of the Dodgers in late August was followed by the Braves taking four of the seven games played against the second-place Phillies in September.