San Diego’s Bud Black won the 2010 National League Manager of the Year award on Wednesday, beating out Cincinnati skipper Dusty Baker by one vote.
Black finished with 104 points, topping the 103 of Baker, who led the Reds to their first playoff appearance since 1995. Bruce Bochy of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants finished third with 30 points, while Atlanta’s Bobby Cox (28 points), Philadelphia’s Charlie Manuel (20) and Houston’s Brad Mills (3) rounded out the voting.
Black won 90 games with a Padres team that many predicted would finish last in the National League West, holding the lead for 131 days before finally giving way to the eventual World Champion Giants on Sept. 25.
Still, the Pads pushed the Giants to the final day of the season before San Francisco’s win finally eliminated San Diego.
Following are five of the top reasons why Black received his first manager of the year honor.