The Detroit Tigers have called a news conference for 11:30 a.m. Monday morning and reports indicate it will be to announce that Jim Leyland will be stepping down as manager of the club. Fox Sports reports that the Tigers skipper told the team following its 5-2 loss Saturday night to the Red Sox, which clinched a 4-2 American League Championship Series win and trip to the World Series for Boston, that he'd be stepping down as skipper.
Leyland has managed the Tigers since 2006, and won the AL pennant with the team in 2006 and 2012, while winning three American League Central Division championships and he led the Tigers to the playoffs four out of his eight seasons with the club.
Leyland, 68, owns a 1297-700 career record with the Tigers, with his last loss being a tough one to swallow as a Shane Victorino grand slam erased a 2-1 lead for the Tigers in the seventh inning Saturday night in Game 6 and sealed their fate. Earlier this month Leyland was asked if he was thinking about his job status following Washington National's manager Davey Johnson retiring and the Reds firing Dusty Baker.
Leyland responded, "No, I'm still ticking."
"We have a policy in Detroit...we don't even discuss my situation one bit until a day or two after the final game," Leyland told MLB.com earlier this month.
Leyland has managed for 22 seasons split between the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Miami Marlins, the Colorado Rockies and the Tigers. Overall with all four teams, Leyland boasts a 3499-1769 record. Fox Sports reports that Leyland told ownership that it was time for someone younger to come in and coach the team.
Whether Leyland is retiring or stepping down from the Tigers perch in pursuit of something else remains to be seen. The Tigers managerial job has been added to the vacancies in Cincinnati and Washington as one of the premiere openings for a new manager in the league.
The Leyland-led Tigers clinched the AL Central for the third straight season in 2013, posting a 93-69 record and went on to defeat the AL West champion Oakland Athletics in the opening round of the playoffs in a series that went down to the wire and finished 3-2 in favor of Detroit. The team then fell in the American League Championship Series to Boston in six games.
Leyland recently pointed out his admiration for Miguel Cabrera, who played through injuries all season and continued to do so in the playoffs.
"He obviously has been playing this entire series, and quite a while now really, in quite a bit of discomfort," Leyland told New York's Newsday. "It's a shame because it has handicapped him in some ways, obviously. But my hat goes off to him to what he's going through and going out there for us. He knows we need him in there and he's really risen to the occasion in every way possible, in my opinion."
Leyland's legacy in Detroit won't soon be forgotten, but it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the successful manager.
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