It was a banner baseball summer for the Beltways this year, and on Tuesday night, the skippers in Washington and Baltimore took home some hardware to prove it. In an MLB Network special, the Nationals' Matt Williams and the Orioles' Buck Showalter were announced as the 2014 Manager of the Year Award winners, as chosen by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.Showalter, who received 25 first-place votes, became just the fourth manager to win the Award at least three times, joining Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa (who each won it on four occasions), and Lou Piniella. Along with La Russa, Showalter is one of just two skippers to win with three different teams. 
Williams, meanwhile, made some history of his own, taking home the award in his first season at the helm. He is now the fourth rookie manager to win the award, joining Hal Lanier (1986 Astros), Dusty Baker ('93 Giants) and Joe Girardi (2006 Marlins). Williams earned 18 of the 30 first-place votes.Williams' squad ran away with NL East, winning by 17 games and earning the league's top seed for the playoffs. Humble as always, Williams deflected the credit for the award to his players and the organization as a whole."The players dictated how they wanted to play this game," Williams said on MLB Network. "They're ferocious, and they're intense, and they do not relent. I got a chance to stand in the dugout and watch it. This is a testament to our organization, starting at the top."As for Showalter, it seems he has made a bit of a habit of winning the American League Manager of the Year Award in years ending with four. This season marks the third time he's done so -- the first two coming in 1994 with the Yankees and 2004 with the Rangers.But 2014 may have been his finest job yet. Without key cogs Manny Machado and Matt Wieters, the Orioles cruised in the vaunted AL East, winning by 12 games. Showalter also lost Chris Davis (suspension) late in the season, and Baltimore never missed a beat."I'm pretty speechless," said Showalter. "It's such a great reflection on our organization, our ownership that's been so rock-solid. You got the opportunity, and it's such an honor to be a part of this fraternity of managers."It's so humbling to realize the impact the impact that the players have had on me in my life. I won't be doing it 10 years from now, I can tell you that. I'm getting too old. They all get tired of your shtick after a while. But it's pretty humbling. What a great honor for our organization.If anything, every speed bump thrown Showalter's way only seemed to make his team stronger. Trailing by 6 1/2 games in early June, the Orioles had already moved into first place by the All-Star break, and never trailed in the second half of the season, eventually clinching their first division crown since 1997.The Angels' Mike Scioscia earned four first-place votes, finishing second, while Mariners skipper Lloyd McClendon, who finished fourth behind the Royals' Ned Yost, received one.In the NL, Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle finished second, earning eight first-place votes, while the Giants' Bruce Bochy finished third with three. (Bochy's postseason successes weren't a part of the discussion, as votes were submitted before the playoffs began).Miami's Mike Redmond also received a first-place vote, finishing fifth, behind St. Louis' Mike Matheny."We had a very good baseball team -- an organization that was behind everything that we did from the first day of Spring Training, and guys that are very capable and love to play the game," Williams said. "To be in the dugout and get a chance to watch that was very special."
AJ Cassavell/MLB.com
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