Milwaukee's Pat Murphy and Cleveland's Stephen Vogt had the unenviable task of taking over for successful and well-liked predecessors when they were named managers of their respective teams during the offseason.
Both proved to be naturals.
Murphy won National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday after a stellar debut season with the Brewers, while Vogt took AL honors after leading the Guardians to 92 wins and a division title in his first year as a skipper at any level.
The 40-year-old Vogt is the first to go from a major league player to Manager of the Year in just two years. The previous fastest was Joe Girardi from 2003 to 2006, when he won NL Manager of the Year with the Florida Marlins.
“I got way more excited when any one of our guys hit a home run then I ever did myself or a big play or a strikeout," Vogt said. “I think that’s the beauty of this role and this job — it’s not about you. It’s about your players and it’s about their successes.”
Murphy, 65, led the Brewers to a 93-69 record and an NL Central title and became the first manager in franchise history to win the award since it was introduced in 1983. In the playoffs, Milwaukee lost to the New York Mets in a Wild Card Series.
Murphy had an unusual career path to big league success — he was a longtime college coach at Notre Dame and Arizona State before moving to the professional ranks in 2010. He worked in the Padres’ minor league system until 2015 when he was hired to be Milwaukee’s bench coach under Craig Counsell, who played for Murphy at Notre Dame.
After Counsell surprisingly left for the Cubs during the offseason, the Brewers quickly turned to Murphy. The transition was nearly seamless.
“I just didn’t want to let the Brewers down,” Murphy said. “From the ownership, to the front office, to the players and the coaching staff. I didn't want to let them down. I wanted to be prepared. I wanted to do something to advance the needle a little bit.”
Murphy received 27 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to beat out San Diego's Mike Shildt and New York's Carlos Mendoza. Shildt, Mendoza and Philadelphia's Rob Thomson each received one first-place vote.
The 40-year-old Vogt topped Kansas City’s Matt Quatraro and Detroit’s A.J. Hinch, both AL Central rivals. He's the first AL manager to win the award in his debut season since Minnesota's Rocco Baldelli in 2019.
Vogt received 27 of 30 first-place votes. Quatraro got two and Hinch one.
Vogt led the Guardians to a 92-69 record and the playoffs in his first season after replacing three-time Manager of the Year winner Terry Francona. The former big league catcher took Cleveland to the AL Championship Series before losing to the New York Yankees in five games.
“I knew I had to come in and be myself," Vogt said. “I knew I would never replace Tito or fill his shoes. I just wanted to come in and be me and help our players be as good as they could be and that was the goal from day one.”
Vogt is the third Cleveland skipper to win the honor, joining Francona (2013, 2016, 2022) and Eric Wedge (2007).
Mendoza — in his first year leading the Mets — guided the franchise to an 89-win season and an appearance in the NL Championship Series before they lost in six games to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Shildt guided the Padres to the playoffs in his first season in San Diego, winning 93 games. He won the NL Manager of the Year award in 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The 51-year-old Quatraro, in his second season with the franchise, led the Royals to the postseason one year after a 106-loss season. Kansas City finished with an 86-76 record before beating Baltimore in a Wild Card Series.
Kansas City, led by catcher Salvador Perez and young star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., lost to the Yankees in a Division Series.
Hinch, a 50-year-old in his fourth season leading the Tigers, also made the playoffs with a torrid second half despite losing quality players like right-hander Jack Flaherty at the July 30 trade deadline.
AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this story.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - From left are baseball managers, New York Mets' Carlos Mendoza, Milwaukee Brewers' Pat Murphy and San Diego Padres' Mike Shildt, in 2024. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - From left are baseball managers, Detroit Tigers' A.J. Hinch, Kansas City Royals' Matt Quatraro and Cleveland Guardians' Stephen Vogt, in 2024. (AP Photo/File)
MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal's last match as a professional was a 6-4, 6-4 loss to No. 80 Botic van de Zandschulp in the Davis Cup as Spain was eliminated by the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Spain lost 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the team event that marked the last tournament for Nadal after more than 20 years on tour and 22 Grand Slam titles.
The crowd yelled “Rafa, Rafa, Rafa” when it was all over, and a special ceremony took place at center court to celebrate his career. After speaking to the fans, he cried while a video with his career highlights was shown.
"The truth is that nobody ever wants to arrive at this moment,” Nadal said. “I’m not tired of playing tennis, but it’s my body that doesn’t want to play anymore, so I have to accept the situation. Honestly, I feel super privileged for having been able to make a career out of my hobby, and for having played for much longer than I could ever have imagined. I can only be grateful to life and to all the people that I have here behind me.”
After the ceremony was over, Nadal hugged his teammates and left the court while waving both arms and saluting the crowd one last time.
“I'll speak in the name of Spanish tennis and in the name of the tennis world,” Spain captain David Ferrer said moments earlier. “You know very well what you have meant to the tennis world. We will miss you a lot. The ‘Vamos, Rafa’ chant will always be part of history."
Carlos Alcaraz had extended Nadal’s career for a little longer by defeating No. 40 Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (0), 6-3 in the second singles match, but Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers then lost the decisive doubles 7-6 (4) 7-6 (3) to van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof.
The Dutch will play in Friday's semifinals against either Germany or Canada, which meet on Wednesday. The Netherlands hadn't played in the semifinals since 2001.
“It was a tough match to play. Playing Rafa here in Spain, probably the biggest sportsman here in Spain," van de Zandschulp said. "Atmosphere was crazy, and for me, when I grew up he was an idol of me. It was a really tough match, but yeah, happy I got it done in the end.”
It wasn't clear if Nadal would have played another match even if Spain had advanced, as he said after his loss that if he was Ferrer he would not pick himself to play again in the semifinals.
“Probably the easy move and maybe the right move is to change,” Nadal said. “I mean, if I would be the captain, probably I will change, I don’t put myself the next day. If we go through, that’s my feeling.”
After his loss, the 38-year-old Nadal was cheering for his teammates on the Spain bench by center court, often yelling and pumping his fist after crucial points won by his younger teammates. He was standing up near the end, vividly cheering for Spain's duo on the court, but as the Dutch celebrated their victory the Spain great could only look on in apparent despair. Nadal was later biting his fingernails while sitting alongside Alcaraz ahead of the ceremony prepared for him.
Nadal was used to winning in the Davis Cup, earning 29 singles victories in a row in the tournament. He helped Spain win the Davis Cup in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019.
“It’s in some ways good, maybe, if that was my last match,” Nadal said. “I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one. So we close the circle.”
Nadal hadn’t played an official match anywhere in 3 1/2 months and had a 12-7 singles record in 2024.
His last official competition was the Paris Olympics in August, when he lost to longtime rival Novak Djokovic in the second round. Nadal reached the doubles quarterfinals with Alcaraz in Paris, and last month he played two exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia.
“I knew it could be my last match as a professional and the emotions were difficult to manage,” Nadal said. “I wasn’t able to read the game quickly enough to feel in control. When you’ve spent so much time out of competition, everything is decided by small details and I’m not in the same form as players who are on the circuit. Today won’t be the day for me to criticize myself."
Nadal put up a good fight against the big-serving van de Zandschulp in the first set but had his serve broken late. He was also broken to start the second set, and was never able to fully get back into the match on an indoor hard court at the sold-out Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in southern Spain.
“That was a tough, tough match to play,” van de Zandschulp said. “Playing Rafa here in Spain, probably the biggest sportsman here in Spain, so the atmosphere was crazy. For me, when I grew up he was an idol of (mine).”
Nadal had said ahead of Spain’s debut he would not want to play any singles match if he didn’t feel he was ready, and said he wanted Ferrer to make what he thought was the best decision for the team without taking the hype about his retirement into consideration.
“I’ll retire from the sport but I will continue to be available for whatever is needed, and to being a good ambassador, which is what I have tried to do my entire life," he said.
The 35-year-old Koolhof was also playing in his last tournament before retiring.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal leaves the court after losing against Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal reacts during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match against Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal competes against Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal competes against Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal reacts during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match against Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Netherlands' tennis player Botic Van De Zandschulp competes against Spain's Rafael Nadal during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal competes against Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal competes against Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp during a Davis Cup quarterfinal match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal during the national anthem ahead of a Davis Cup quarterfinal match against Netherlands' Botic Van De Zandschulp at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
