Detroit Tigers manager, Jim Leyland announced his retirement to the team after being eliminated from the playoffs.
As a result, the Tigers were not able to advance to the World Series. This is their third consecutive year being in the ALCS.
During Monday’s press conference, Leyland approached the podium teary-eyed, and expressed his gratitude towards the Detroit Tigers’ organization.
“I came here to change talent to team, and I think with the help of the entire organization, we’ve done that, we’ve won quite a bit,” Leyland said in a Detroit Free Press video. “And I am very grateful to have been a small part of that.”
Now, he wants to retire as a Tiger.
For eight years, Leyland coached the Detroit Tigers and contributed to 700 wins.
Despite his six-year hiatus, he is retiring with a potential Hall of Fame resume.
Leyland ranks 14 all-time in baseball with 3, 499 games managed, and 15 in wins with 1, 769. In 22 seasons as a major league manager; half of them resulted in first or second place finishes.
Despite this success, he never had the chance to experience the exhilaration of winning a World Series title.
Leyland is not only known for his success as a baseball manager, but also for letting the umpires have it when they made a bad call.
He provided fans with entertaining and colorful lectures toward umpires who he felt were in the wrong. Also, Leyland was known to sneak in a quick cigarette between innings.
Jim Leyland is one of the last of a dying breed of baseball managers; his old-school approach to the game will be missed, and difficult to replace.
