Don Mattingly of the Miami Marlins won the National League's Manager of the Year award.

Mattingly guided the Marlins to their first playoff appearance since 2003 despite dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that paused their season and ravaged the roster.

The Marlins’ 31-29 record was Mattingly’s first winning season in his fifth year with the club. The former big league first baseman had a winning record in each of his five seasons as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mattingly, the first Manager of the Year for the Marlins since Joe Girardi in 2006, was the AL MVP with the New York Yankees in 1985. He is fifth person to win both MVP and Manager of the Year.

“They’re just different. The first one feels personal and this one feels more like a team thing," Mattingly said, "and that’s why I’m proud of it because we’ve struggled for a couple years and for us to move forward is important, and I think this is a sign that we’re heading in that direction.”

San Diego’s Jayce Tingler finished second behind Mattingly in balloting by the BBWAA, followed by David Ross of the Chicago Cubs.

Tingler and Ross led their teams to the playoffs in their first seasons as a big league manager.

The Cy Young Awards will be announced by the BBWAA on Wednesday night, followed by the MVPs on Thursday.

After losing 105 games a year ago, Miami’s 2020 season was nearly derailed by a coronavirus outbreak during the first weekend of play. The team had to make 174 roster moves but still managed the franchise’s first winning record since 2009.

The steady hand of the 59-year-old Mattingly played a big role in the turnaround, which continued in the playoffs. Miami eliminated the NL Central champion Cubs in the first round before it was swept by the Atlanta Braves in the NL Division Series.

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