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Jim Leyland
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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 . 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.
Leyland began his baseball career with the Tigers when they signed him as a catcher on September 21, .
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Encyclopedia
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 . 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, . 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 AL West division title, before being named the 33rd manager in Pittsburgh Pirates history on November 20, .
Pittsburgh Pirates
He was the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from to . He won two Manager of the Year trophies with the Pirates in and , 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, 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 , 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 second fastest expansion franchise to win a World Series (the Boston Americans, now known as the Red Sox, were a charter team in the expansion American League in 1901 and won the first World Series in 1903). The Arizona Diamondbacks surpassed the Marlins on this list when they won the World Series in 2001, their fourth season.
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." Leyland indeed remained as the manager, but resigned after a terrible season. At his press conference, Leyland remarked that he thought his job was to win championships, but that apparently wasn't what Huizenga wanted. Leyland was subsequently hired by the Colorado Rockies for the season.
When he left managing after the 1999 season, he became a Pittsburgh-based scout for the St. Louis Cardinals; he was often seen sitting in the stands at PNC Park with fellow ex-Pirates manager Chuck Tanner.
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, , Leyland was immediately named a top contender to replace him for the season. "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 . 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, 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.
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..
Managerial record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Postseason |
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| Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result |
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| Pittsburgh Pirates | 1986
| 64 | 98 | .395 | 6th in NL East | - | - | - | |
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| 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 |
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| Florida Marlins | 1997
| 92 | 70 | .568 | 2nd in NL East | 11 | 5 | .688 | Won World Series. |
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| 1998
| 54 | 108 | .333 | 5th in NL East | - | - | - | | | FLA Total | 146 | 178 | .451 | | 11 | 5 | .688 | 1 Post-Season Appearance |
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| Colorado Rockies | 1999
| 72 | 90 | .444 | 5th in NL West | - | - | - | |
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| COL Total | 72 | 90 | .444 | | - | - | - | |
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| Detroit Tigers | 2006
| 95 | 67 | .586 | 2nd in AL Central | 8 | 5 | .615 | Lost in World Series |
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| 2007
| 88 | 74 | .543 | 2nd in AL Central | | | | | | 2008 | 74 | 88 | .457 | 5th in AL Central | | | | | | DET Total | 241 | 201 | .545 | | 8 | 5 | .615 | |
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| Total | 1,310 | 1,332 | .496 | | 27 | 22 | .551 | |
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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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Leyland is one of the few managers in Major League Baseball to wear cleats in the dugout.
- 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.
- Leyland is known to occasionally take a round of batting practice himself.
- 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.
See also
External links
- - biographical article from ESPN.com
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