Legendary Detroit Tigers Manager Gives NSFW Pump-Up Speech
After Friday's calamitous meltdown, Saturday was a much better day at the ballpark for the Detroit Tigers.
For starters, Jim Leyland was in the house. The legendary manager, who was just inducted into the Hall of Fame a few weeks ago, had his No. 10 retired by the Tigers in a special pregame ceremony at Comerica Park.
Leyland, 79, was in top form as always. After the ceremony, he went over to the Detroit dugout, where he managed the team from 2006 to 2013. The three-time Manager of the Year, who always knew when his team needed a kick in the pants, gave the slumping Tigers one just like in the old days.
Jim Leyland: Forever a Detroit Tiger. pic.twitter.com/4a2gRAodXs
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 3, 2024
"Go get a (bleeping) win," Leyland told his former team.
Message received. After getting blown out 9-2 on Friday, Detroit bounced back with a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The Tigers rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, then walked off the Royals on Wenceel Perez's game-winning single in the bottom of the 11th.
It was the perfect way to honor Leyland, who led Detroit through one of its most successful periods in franchise history. After previously managing the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins (where he won a World Series) and Colorado Rockies, Leyland brought his gruff, no-nonsense style to the Tigers in 2006.
They promptly won the AL pennant that year and again in 2012, losing the Fall Classic both times. Leyland guided Detroit to 700 regular-season wins (an average of 87.5 per season) and four postseason berths before retiring after the 2013 season. The Tigers have only made one playoff appearance since then.
Leyland won a lot of games in his career, leading his teams to 1,769 victories in the regular season and another 44 in the playoffs. Not surprisingly, he still knows how to get a team fired up.
