Former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Jim Leyland was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame on Sunday night, an honor he was not expecting to get, and he revealed the emotions he felt after hearing the news.
“It's the highest honor you can get in our business, and I'm thrilled, excited, surprised and flattered,” Jim Leyland said, via Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “All of those words come into play when you're thinking about this.”
Leyland spent 11 seasons with the Pirates, which was the first team he managed. He went on to manage the Florida Marlins for two seasons, helping them win the world series in 1997, before managing the Colorado Rockies in 1999. Leyland's next stop at manager was with the Detroit Tigers from 2006 to 2013, where he won two American League pennants. Leyland also won the 2017 World Baseball Classic as the manager of Team USA.
Speaking further on the emotions, Leyland admitted it was a powerful moment.
“I couldn't believe it,” Leyland said, via Mackey. “There was definitely a tear in my eye.”
Over his career with the Pirates, Marlins, Rockies and Tigers, Leyland finished with an 851-863 record, according to Baseball Reference. It was a losing record, but Leyland spent a lot of time managing small market rosters, and he had a lot of respect in the game. Leyland's tenure with the Tigers was very successful, as it was a team that had a representative roster during that time, but just could not get over the hump and win a World Series.
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