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Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland shares how he feels about Detroit Tigers retiring No. 10
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- Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland shares how he feels about Detroit Tigers retiring No. 10
On Aug. 3, Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland will become the 10th person to have his number retired by the Detroit Tigers , joining Sparky Anderson as the second manager on the exclusive list of honorees.
The number retirement means a lot to him.
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"This is absolutely unbelievable," Leyland said.
The Tigers will retire Leyland's No. 10 in a pregame ceremony at Comerica Park, scheduled as part of a celebration of his July Hall of Fame induction.
"The Hall of Fame is an entire baseball career, and that's one thing," Leyland said, "but to have your number retired with one team is something a little bit different. I would never get into choosing one over the other, but this is the highest honor you can get as an individual that plays on a particular team, so I'm accepting that way. I'm truly humbled."
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Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2024 inductee and former Pirates and Tigers manager Jim Leyland observes batting practice before the Pirates host the Tigers on Monday, April 8, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
Leyland, 79, will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on July 21, alongside players Adrian Beltré , Todd Helton and Joe Mauer . The legendary skipper was elected by the Contemporary Era Committee in December 2023 .
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Leyland, who currently works as a special assistant in the Tigers' front office, managed 3,499 games across 22 seasons. He picked up 1,769 wins along the way, good for 18th on MLB's all-time list.
His speech for the Hall of Fame is going to be different than his speech for the number retirement, he said. In Detroit , Leyland plans to thank the Ilitch family, and he also plans to thank the fans for the way they supported the Tigers when he was the manager.
"It's going to be a heartfelt thank you to the fans and what they did for me during my time with Detroit," Leyland said. "My daughter always gives me the best advice. When I worry about what I have to say, she says, 'Dad, just tell them how you feel.' I'm going to try to do that."
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Tigers manager Jim Leyland hugs pitcher Phil Coke after winning Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012. KIRTHMON F. DOZIER/Detroit Free Press
He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-96), Marlins (1997-98), Colorado Rockies (1999) and Tigers (2006-13). He won the 1997 World Series with the Marlins and secured Manager of the Year awards in 1990, 1992 and 2006.
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Leyland will be the 23rd manager in the Hall of Fame.
"Just the history," said Leyland, who originally signed a minor-league deal as a player with the Tigers in 1963 and rose all the way to Triple-A manager before leaving the organization in 1982. "I've been with the Tigers 36 years of my career, so there's a little bit more history there than any other place. I went to my first Major League Baseball game with my aunt in Detroit in 1954. There's a lot of history there."
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He won't have a team logo on his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown because he doesn't want to disrespect any of the teams he managed. He had success with three of the four teams: Pirates, Marlins and Tigers.
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Leyland, who ranks 17th in games and 18th in wins on MLB's all-time leaderboard for managers, took the Tigers to the World Series in 2006 and 2012, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and the San Francisco Giants in 2012.
"I just hope that they flashback from 2006 to 2013 and have a pleasant memory of what went on during that time," Leyland said, when asked what he wants fans to remember when looking at his No. 10 at Comerica Park. "I hope that they enjoyed it as much as I did, and I hope they enjoyed me as much as much I enjoyed them. I think that's what I'm going to hope for the most."
For the Tigers, Leyland's No. 10 joins Lou Whitaker's No. 1 (retired in 2022), Charlie Gehringer's No. 2 (1983), Alan Trammell's No. 3 (2018), Hank Greenberg's No. 5 (1983), Al Kaline's No. 6 (1980), Sparky Anderson's No. 11 (2011), Hal Newhouser's No. 16 (1997), Willie Horton's No. 23 (2000) and Jack Morris' No. 47 (2018) on the brick wall at Comerica Park.
"I'm kind of hoping that the tear ducts dry up a little bit, to be honest with you," Leyland said. "I'm going to try to get through Cooperstown the best I can, and certainly, I'll do the same when I come to Detroit. The emotions will be flowing. I just hope not too many tears."
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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jim Leyland's hope for Detroit Tigers tribute: 'Not too many tears'
