In his eight seasons as manager, Jim Leyland got the Tigers close — but not close enough.
As Rod Beard and Tom Gage report in The Detroit News, two days after losing to the Red Sox in Game 6 in the American League Championship Series, Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski announced Monday that Leyland is retiring.
"I have told most all of you, when it's time, it's time — and it's time,” Leyland said. “It’s time to step down from the managerial position of the Detroit Tigers.”
Leyland said he told Dombrowski on Sept. 7 after a series in Kansas City but they did not tell anyone else, including the players.
Leyland, 68, took the Tigers to the postseason four times in his tenure, including three straight trips to the ALCS. With a loaded roster, including Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and Prince Fielder, Leyland got the Tigers to the World Series last season before being swept by the San Francisco Giants.
“The fuel is starting to get low,” said Leyland on Monday, adding he’ll move to another undetermined position in the organization.
