Orioles' Buck Showalter named AL Manager of the Year

A pattern has emerged for Buck Showalter.

The Baseball Writers' Association of America named the Baltimore Orioles skipper the American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday. It's the third time Showalter has won the award, and each win has come 10 years after the previous one. 

Showalter won AL Manager of the Year in the strike-shortened 1994 season after leading the New York Yankees to a 70-43 record, and took home the hardware again in 2004 as skipper of the Texas Rangers. 

Only Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox have won more Manager of the Year awards.

Showalter edged out Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost and two-time winner Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels after earning 25 of a possible 30 first-place votes. 

Scioscia, who placed second, received four first-place votes, and the Seattle Mariners' Lloyd McClendon was the only other AL manager to receive a top vote.

The 58-year-old Showalter, who has gained a reputation as a masterful tactician, helped guide the Orioles to their first division title since 1997. Baltimore ran away with the AL East by going 96-66, finishing 12 games up on the second-place Yankees. 

It was a strong second half that helped the Orioles get back to the postseason for the second time in three years. They went 53-27 from the beginning of July and played .647 ball post-All-Star Game.  

Baltimore had to overcome season-ending injuries to stars Matt Wieters and Manny Machado, while top offseason acquisition Ubaldo Jimenez was relegated to the bullpen following persistent struggles in the rotation. The Orioles were also without Chris Davis for the end of the regular season and their entire playoff run after the slugger received a 25-game suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant. 

Showalter's Orioles swept the Detroit Tigers in the AL Division Series before getting ousted in the AL Championship Series in four games by the Royals.