Managerial Career
After spending several years as a coach in the Dodgers' organization, Scioscia was hired by new Angels general manager Bill Stoneman to be the Angels' field manager after the 1999 season, following the late-season resignation of Terry Collins and interim managerial tenure of Joe Maddon. Scioscia would retain Maddon as an assistant until Maddon received his own managerial position with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2006.
Under the leadership of Stoneman and Scioscia, the Angels ended their 15-year playoff drought in 2002, winning the AL Wild Card and ultimately winning the franchise's first World Series, a series that pitted the Angels against a San Francisco Giants team managed by Scioscia's former Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker. In winning the series, Scioscia became the 17th person to win a World Series as both a player and a manager (not including those who won as a player-manager).
The 2002 World Series was considered the worst nightmare for a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers because it was a showdown between the Angels and their most hated rival. However, many Dodger fans, including their chair, Bob Daly, rooted for the Angels during the series and attended games at Edison International Field. Most of the Angels coaching staff, including Scioscia, helped relieve Dodger fans, having played for the Dodgers at one point of another during their careers.
Scioscia was honored as 2002 American League Manager of Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America (the official Manager of the Year award, as recognized by Major League Baseball). He was also named 2002 A.L. Manager of the Year by The Sporting News, USA Today Sports Weekly, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. He was further named the overall Major League 2002 Manager of the Year by Baseball America.
The Angels under Scioscia would go on to enjoy a period of on-field success never before seen in franchise history, winning five American League West division titles in six years (surpassing the number won by all previous Angels managers combined). Scioscia's Angels broke the franchise single-season win record with 99 wins in 2002, and again with 100 wins in 2008. However, they have yet to win another American League pennant or World Series since their memorable 2002 run.
Scioscia is currently the Angels' all-time leader in wins and games managed, surpassing original manager Bill Rigney's totals in both categories in 2007 and 2008, respectively. He is also currently the longest tenured manager in Major League Baseball. In January 2009, he received a multi-year extension on his contract; his former contract ran through the 2010 season. The number of additional years created through this contract has been publicly announced as 10 years, so it has been confirmed by MLB that the new contract will be through 2018. Scioscia was honored as 2009 American League Major League Manager of Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America (the official Manager of the Year award, as recognized by Major League Baseball).
He is the first manager to reach the playoffs in six of his first ten seasons.
On May 8, 2011, the Angels defeated the Cleveland Indians, which marked Scioscia's 1,000th win as a major league manager.
Read more about this topic: Mike Scioscia
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