The BBWAA announced who would be inducted into the Hall of Fame from the Contemporary ERA ballot tonight. The options were Managers Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Lou Pinella, and Jim Leyland; for Executives, it was Hank Peters and Bill White; and for umpires, it would be Ed Montague and Joe West. Only one name was announced: Jim Leyland, who needed 12 votes to get in; Leyland got 15 of the 16 possible votes; Pinella got 12, and White got 10. The rest received less than five votes.
Jim Leyland Career
Leyland managed the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986-1996, going 851-863. He then coached the Florida Marlins for two years, going 146-178, but won the 1997 World Series with the Marlins. In 1999, he coached the Colorado Rockies, going 72-90. In 2006 he returned to manage the Detroit Tigers and went 700-597. He won one World Series Championship and three pennants, with one coming in the National League from his time with the Marlins and two with the Detroit Tigers, but he couldn’t lead the Tigers to a World Series, losing the 2006 World Series in five games and 2012 in four. He would lead Team USA to the World Baseball Classic championship in 2017 when they went 6-2 in the tournament. Leyland would be named Manager of the Year three times, winning it in 1990 and 1992 with the Pirates and 2006 with the Tigers. He finished with a 1,769-1,728 record for his career as well. What a great honor for one of the best coaches ever; it is truly well deserved. Congratulations Jim Leyland. He will be inducted on July 21, 2024.
