Cleveland Indians skipper Terry Francona won the 2013 AL Manager of the Year award on Tuesday, narrowly beating out Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell.
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The Indians won just 68 games in 2012, and Francona’s leadership helped them improve to a 92-70 record in 2013, which earned the franchise its first playoff berth since 2007. Cleveland lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Wild Card play-in game, but the campaign as a whole was a major step forward for one of the youngest teams in baseball. Francona becomes the first Indians manager to win this award since Eric Wedge in 2007, when the club won the AL Central Division title and lost to the Red Sox in the ALCS.
Farrell was seen by many as the favorite for this award after helping the Red Sox complete a remarkable turnaround by winning the AL East and ultimately the World Series following a disastrous 2012 season in which Boston tallied only 69 victories. Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin got two first-place votes and finished third.
Clint Hurdle of the Pittsburgh Pirates won the NL Manager of the Year award.
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