James Richard Leyland (born December 15, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player,
coach and
manager. He serves as a special assistant to the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB).
Leyland led the
Florida Marlins to the
1997 World Series championship over the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
, and previously won three straight division titles (
1990,
1991, and
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
) with the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
. He is one of eleven managers to lead three different teams to the postseason. With the Tigers' victory in the
2006 American League Championship Series, Leyland became the seventh manager in history to win pennants in both the
National and
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
s.
Leyland is a three-time
Manager of the Year Award winner, twice in the National League (1990 and 1992), and once in the American League (2006). He managed the
United States national team at the
2017 World Baseball Classic, leading the team to its first gold medal finish. On December 3, 2023, Leyland was elected to the
National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Early life
James Richard Leyland was born on December 15, 1944, in
Perrysburg, Ohio. His father worked in a
glass
Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...
factory and his mother was a stay-at-home mother of seven children. Leyland's first baseball team was part of a
Knights of Columbus league. Leyland graduated from
Perrysburg High School in
Perrysburg, Ohio, in 1962, where he excelled in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
.
Professional career
Minor leagues
Leyland began his baseball career with the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
when they signed him as a
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
on September 21, 1963. He spent seven seasons as a minor leaguer in the Tigers organization (1964–1970), but mainly served as a coach with the
Montgomery Rebels in 1970 while playing in just two games for the team. Leyland was a career .222
hitter in the minor leagues.
Coaching career
Leyland left the Tigers organization for the first time in 1982 when he became
Tony La Russa
Anthony La Russa Jr. (; born October 4, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager (baseball), manager. His MLB career has spanned from 1963 to 2022, in several roles. He is the former manager of the St. Louis C ...
's
third base coach for four seasons (1982–85) with the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
, including the team's 1983 AL West division title.
Managerial career
Minor leagues
In 1972, Leyland became a minor league
manager in the Tigers organization; beginning with the
Clinton Pilots of the
Midwest League; from 1979 to 1981, he was the manager of the
Evansville Triplets winning two divisions (1979, 1981) in the American Association.
Pittsburgh Pirates (1986–1996)
On November 20, 1985, Leyland was named as the 33rd manager in
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
franchise history, managing the team from 1986 to 1996 where he won two
Manager of the Year trophies in 1990 and 1992, and finished as runner-up in 1988 and 1991. Leyland helped develop 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 new ownership. Under Leyland, the Pirates won the National League Eastern Division title and went to the
National League Championship Series in three straight seasons (
1990,
1991, and
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
). Pittsburgh averaged 96 regular season victories over those three years, although lost all three times in the NLCS with the later two going the full seven games against the Atlanta Braves. The Pirates lost to the Cincinnati Reds (four games to two) in the 1990 NLCS.
Leyland quit after 11 seasons spent with the Pirates in order to manage a contender despite a contract which ran to 2000 with a salary of $1 million, stating it was not a tough decision but a sad one, noting his dissatisfaction with owner
Kevin McClatchy on trades and salary cutting.
One member of Leyland's coaching staff while with the Pirates,
Terry Collins, who was most recently the manager of the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
, wore number 10 to honor Leyland.
Florida Marlins (1997–1998)
In 1997, Leyland was hired by
Wayne Huizenga to manage the
Florida Marlins and promptly led them to the franchise's first World Championship that year, defeating the Cleveland Indians—four games to three—in the Fall Classic. The Marlins, in only their fifth year of existence, became the fastest expansion franchise to win a World Series. The
Arizona Diamondbacks surpassed the Marlins when they won the World Series in 2001, their fourth season.
In the offseason, Huizenga dismantled the team in a
fire sale. After Game 7, when asked about rumors that he might retire if Huizenga sold the franchise, Leyland quipped, "My wife doesn't like me that much. I can't retire." Leyland remained as the manager, but resigned after the 1998 season, when the Marlins went 54–108. Due to the details of his contract (alongside the team finding itself in the process of being sold), he received a $500,000 buyout for the remaining three years of his five-year contract.
Colorado Rockies (1999)
Leyland was subsequently hired by the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
for the 1999 season. Leyland reached 1,000 wins on April 15, leading the Rockies to a 6–4 win over the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
at
Coors Field. He achieved the feat in his 2,048th game as manager. Leyland ultimately came to regret the decision to manage in Colorado, saying that while he was treated well by the team, he felt he could not manage well with
Coors Field in regard to pitching, as he described himself as "pitcher's manager." He walked away from the final two years of his contract after one season. It was the fifth time in Leyland's 14 seasons that he skippered a team that finished last in its division. After this, he became a Pittsburgh-based
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
for the
St. Louis Cardinals.
Detroit Tigers (2006–2013)
Following the release of
Alan Trammell as the manager of the Tigers, Leyland was hired as new Tigers manager, returning to the franchise with which he spent the first 18 years of his professional baseball career. It marked the first time Leyland managed in the American League.

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
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
and sweep the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
to win the American League pennant before falling to the
St. Louis Cardinals in the
2006 World Series. 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
Anthony La Russa Jr. (; born October 4, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager (baseball), manager. His MLB career has spanned from 1963 to 2022, in several roles. He is the former manager of the St. Louis C ...
. 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 La Russa and
Bobby Cox. Leyland also won
the ''Sporting News'' Manager of the Year Award for the American League in 2006.
The Tigers had heightened expectations after the pennant, but they muddled through the next four seasons, which included a last place finish in 2008 (the sixth and last time Leyland had skippered a last place team). Leyland would reach 1,500 wins on April 15, 2011, with a win over the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
, becoming the 19th manager to do so. That year, he would lead the Tigers to another 95–67 regular season record (an improvement of 14 wins), winning the American League Central Division. They went on to defeat the New York Yankees in the
American League Division Series before losing to the
Texas Rangers in the
American League Championship Series.

On May 1, 2012, Leyland gained his 1,600th victory as a major league manager, passing
Tommy Lasorda on the all-time wins list. In 2012, Leyland led the Tigers to an 88–74 regular season record, winning the American League Central Division. On that team, Tigers third baseman
Miguel Cabrera was the American League Triple Crown winner that season. This was the first Triple Crown winner in Major League Baseball since
Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. When the Tigers won the AL Central for the second consecutive season, Leyland became the only Tigers manager besides
Hughie Jennings to lead Detroit to the postseason three times.
In the 2012 postseason, Detroit defeated the Athletics in a five-game
ALDS and returned to the World Series following a sweep of the New York Yankees in the
American League Championship Series. Detroit was swept in the
2012 World Series by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. They were shut out twice, the same number as in the entire 162-game regular season, and had a team batting average of .159.
On September 25, 2013, Leyland won his 700th game with the Tigers. With the 1–0 victory over the Minnesota Twins, the Tigers clinched their third consecutive American League Central Division title. Leyland joined former coach Tony La Russa as the only managers who have led two different MLB franchises to three consecutive division titles. Of the eleven managers to have won three pennants, seven did so in the divisional era, and Leyland has the second most playoff appearances to have won three pennants with eight, with only
Terry Francona having more appearances. His 44 postseason wins are tied for fourth most in MLB history with
Bruce Bochy, while his 40 losses are fourth most. He retired from managing following the 2013 season, remaining with the Tigers organization as a special assistant. He was replaced by
Brad Ausmus.
Team USA
On April 15, 2016, Leyland was named the manager of
Team USA at the
2017 World Baseball Classic. The United States won the 2017 tournament under his leadership, making Leyland the only manager to win a World Series and a WBC title.
Honors
On May 30, 2017, Leyland was one of eight new inductees announced for the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in Detroit. The ceremony took place on September 15, 2017.
On December 3, 2023, Leyland was elected to the
National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024, and was enshrined on July 21, 2024. He was subsequently selected to the
Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame in May 2024.
Leyland's number 10 was retired by the Tigers on August 3, 2024.
Managerial record
Personal life
Leyland still keeps his home in the
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
suburb of
Thornburg, Pennsylvania, where he has raised two children, Patrick
and Kellie with his wife Katie. His son, Pat, a catcher/first baseman, was drafted by the Tigers in 2010 and also played in the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
and
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
organizations through 2015.
Leyland is a practicing
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.
[Swinging for the Stars: Jim Leyland's Journey to the Hall of Fame](_blank)
/ref> His brother Tom Leyland was a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo for 55 years until his death in 2020, and two of his aunts were Ursuline nuns.
See also
* List of Major League Baseball managerial wins and winning percentage leaders
* List of Major League Baseball managers with most career ejections
References
External links
*
*
Retrosheet
"Why Isn't This Man Smiling?"
– biographical article from ESPN.com
Official Detroit Tigers biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leyland, Jim
1944 births
Living people
Baseball catchers
Baseball coaches from Ohio
Baseball players from Wood County, Ohio
Chicago White Sox coaches
Cocoa Rookie League Tigers players
Colorado Rockies managers
Detroit Tigers managers
Florida Instructional League Tigers players
Florida Marlins managers
Jamestown Tigers players
Lakeland Flying Tigers managers
Lakeland Tigers players
Major League Baseball third base coaches
Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award winners
Montgomery Rebels players
People from Perrysburg, Ohio
Sportspeople from Wood County, Ohio
Pittsburgh Pirates managers
Rocky Mount Leafs players
St. Louis Cardinals scouts
United States national baseball team managers
World Baseball Classic managers
World Series–winning managers
National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
20th-century American sportsmen
Leones del Caracas managers