A's reward manager Melvin with two-year extension

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin returns to the dugout out after taking pitcher A.J. Griffin out of the game for tightness in his right shoulder during the second inning of their MLB baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Oakland August 4, 2012.

(Reuters) - The Oakland Athletics rewarded manager Bob Melvin with a two-year contract extension after he led the team to a division title and was voted American League Manager of the Year, the team said on Monday.

The extension will keep Melvin, who led Oakland to a 94-68 record in 2012 that was a 20-win improvement over the previous campaign, with the A's through the 2016 Major League Baseball season, the team said in a statement.

It was Melvin's first full year at the helm in Oakland. He was named interim manager in June 2011 before signing a three-year pact three months later.

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)