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Jim Leyland

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Template:Infobox MLB retired James Richard Leyland (born December 15, 1944 in Perrysburg, Ohio) is a Major League Baseball manager for the Detroit Tigers. He led the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship in 1997. With the Tigers' victory in the 2006 American League Championship Series, Leyland has become the seventh manager in history to win pennants in both the National and American Leagues. He is a 3-time Manager of the Year Award winner, twice in the National League (1990 and 1992), and once in the American League in 2006.

Early career

Jim Leyland began his baseball career with the Tigers when they signed him as a catcher on September 21, 1963. He spent six seasons as a minor leaguer in the Tigers organization (1964-69) before serving as a coach with the Montgomery Rebels in 1970. Leyland then served as a coach for the Rocky Mount Leafs in the first half of the 1971 season before receiving his first managerial experience with the Bristol Tigers the same season. He managed for 11 seasons at the minor league level in the Tigers organization (1971-81), advancing to the postseason six times and claiming his respective league championship three times. Leyland was selected as the manager of the year in the Florida State League in both 1977 and 1978 and in the American Association in 1979.

Leyland left the Tigers organization for the first time in 1982 when he became Tony La Russa's third base coach for four seasons (1982-85) with the Chicago White Sox, including the team's 1983 AL West division title, before being named the 33rd manager in Pittsburgh Pirates history on November 20, 1985.

Pittsburgh Pirates

He was the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1996. He won two Manager of the Year trophies with the Pirates in 1990 and 1992, and developed such All-Stars as Barry Bonds, Jay Bell, Tim Wakefield, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla in Pittsburgh before a fire sale in the mid-1990s soured him with a new ownership. Under Leyland, the Pirates went to the National League Championship Series in three straight seasons (1990, 1991, and 1992). The Pirates lost all three of those NLCS series, however, with the latter two going the full seven games against the Atlanta Braves. Although he has moved on in his career, he still keeps his home in Pittsburgh[1], where he met his wife Katy and has raised two children, Pat and Kelly. Both currently attend Bishop Canevin High School.

Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies

In 1997, he was hired by Wayne Huizenga to manage the Florida Marlins and promptly led them to the franchise's first championship. The Marlins, in only their fifth year of existence, became the fastest expansion franchise to win a World Series (a feat that has since been broken by the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks).[citation needed]

In the offseason, Huizenga dismantled the team in what became known as "the fire sale." After Game 7, when asked about rumors that he may retire if Huizenga sold the franchise, Leyland quipped, "My wife doesn't like me that much. I can't retire."[2] Leyland indeed remained as the manager, but resigned after a terrible 1998 season. At his press conference, Leyland remarked that he thought his job was to win championships, but that apparently wasn't what Huizenga wanted.[citation needed] Leyland was subsequently hired by the Colorado Rockies for the 1999 season.

When he left managing after the 1999 season, he became a Pittsburgh-based scout for the St. Louis Cardinals;[citation needed] he was often seen sitting in the stands at PNC Park with fellow ex-Pirates manager Chuck Tanner.[citation needed]

Detroit Tigers

In 2005, Leyland returned to the franchise with which he spent the first 18 years of his professional baseball career, managing in the AL for the first time. Following the release of Alan Trammell as the manager of the Tigers on October 3, 2005, Leyland was immediately named a top contender to replace him for the 2006 season.[citation needed] "It's well known that I interviewed with Philadelphia last winter, and I'd like to manage again," Leyland said in September 2005. He was announced as the new Tigers manager just one day later.

In the 2006 regular season, Leyland guided the Tigers to a 95-67 record, the Tigers' best season since 1987. The Tigers entered the playoffs as a wild card, and went on to defeat the New York Yankees and sweep the Oakland Athletics on their way to winning the American League pennant. Many people chose the Tigers to win the 2006 World Series[citation needed], although they ultimately lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. In leading the team to the AL pennant, he became the seventh manager to win pennants in both major leagues, joining Joe McCarthy, Yogi Berra, Alvin Dark, Sparky Anderson, Dick Williams, and Tony La Russa. After the 2006 season ended, Leyland was recognized with the Manager of the Year award for the third time in his career. He became the third person to win the award in both leagues, joining Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox. Leyland also won The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award for the American League in 2006. As of the end of the 2006 season, Leyland's career managerial record is 1164–1198, a .493 winning percentage.[citation needed]

On October 2, 2007, the Tigers extended Leyland's contract through the 2009 season.

Despite a disappointing 2008 season, Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski announced on September 24, 2008, that Leyland will be back for the 2009 season.[3].

Managerial record

Team Year Regular Season Postseason
Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
Pittsburgh Pirates 1986 64 98 .395 6th in NL East - - -
1987 80 82 .494 4th in NL East - - -
1988 85 75 .531 2nd in NL East - - -
1989 74 88 .457 5th in NL East - - -
1990 95 67 .586 1st in NL East 2 4 .333 Lost NLCS
1991 98 64 .605 1st in NL East 3 4 .429 Lost NLCS
1992 96 66 .593 1st in NL East 3 4 .429 Lost NLCS
1993 75 87 .463 5th in NL East - - -
1994 53 61 .465 3rd in NL Central - - -
1995 58 86 .403 5th in NL Central - - -
1996 73 89 .451 5th in NL Central - - -
PIT Total 851 863 .496 8 12 .400 3 Post-Season Appearances
Florida Marlins 1997 92 70 .568 2nd in NL East 11 5 .688 Won World Series.
1998 54 108 .333 5th in NL East - - -
FLA Total 146 178 .451 11 5 .688 1 Post-Season Appearance
Colorado Rockies 1999 72 90 .444 5th in NL West - - -
COL Total 72 90 .444 - - -
Detroit Tigers 2006 95 67 .586 2nd in AL Central 8 5 .615 Lost in World Series
2007 88 74 .543 2nd in AL Central
2008 74 88 .457 5th in AL Central
DET Total 241 201 .545 8 5 .615
Total 1,310 1,332 .496 27 22 .551

Trivia

  • Jim Leyland is fairly notorious for his smoking habit (Marlboro Reds are his favorite), which he defends. Leyland is often known to smoke in the dugout during games. More recently, as smoking has been banned in many major league stadiums, he smokes on the clubhouse ramp between innings. [4]
  • Leyland referred to the 2006 Yankees, whom his Tigers defeated in the 2006 ALDS, as "Murderers' Row and then Canó" because of the Yankees' strong offensive lineup.[citation needed]
  • Leyland, a career .222 hitter in the minor leagues, recently quipped that he "could've been inside the Duquesne Light Company, and it wouldn't have made a difference" in regard to the impact that lighting quality between minor and major league stadiums can have on a batter. [citation needed]
  • Leyland is one of the few managers in Major League Baseball to wear cleats in the dugout.[citation needed]
  • Since becoming manager of the Detroit Tigers in 2006, Leyland has rarely worn a standard Tigers jersey. He seems to prefer wearing a version of the batting practice jersey in the dugout.[citation needed]
  • Leyland is known to occasionally take a round of batting practice himself.[5]
  • Leyland has not selected a bench coach for his current Tigers team. Third base coach Gene Lamont, whom Leyland has known for 40 years (dating back to their time as Tigers minor leaguers), usually handles those responsibilities. If Leyland is ejected from a game, Lamont takes over the managerial duties. Lamont has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates third base coach under Leyland from 1986–1991, and then again in 1996 before taking over the team from Leyland in 1997.[citation needed]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Leyland awaiting Phillies' decision
  2. ^ Kiszla, Mark (October 27, 1997). "Passionate man the last of a breed". Denver Post. p. C-01. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  3. ^ The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Tigers sign Leyland through 2009
  4. ^ Michael Stephens (October 26, 2006). "Rainouts May Not Bode Well For Leyland, Tigers". Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  5. ^ Notes: Ordonez nicked up, Jason Beck/MLB.com, April 15, 2007

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