Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland is reportedly stepping down only two days after his team was eliminated from the postseason, two games shy of the World Series.
The 68-year-old Leyland told the Tigers he would retire after their Game 6 defeat to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, according to Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal. Leyland reportedly said "it was time for someone younger to do the job." Leyland will make the news official at a press conference this morning.
This brings a close to a long career: Leyland began his baseball career with the Tigers when they signed him as a catcher in September 1963 and later transitioned to minor league coaching before leaving the organization in 1982 to work for Tony La Russa with Chicago White Sox.
Leyland left his mark on the game from the dugout, where he led the Florida Marlins to a World Series title in 1997, won three consecutive division titles with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1990–1992 and guided the Tigers to AL championships in 2006 and 2012.
Known widely for his crotchety demeanor, thick gray mustache, and cigarette habit, Leyland compiled a record of 700-593 in eight seasons with Detroit, winning the AL Central in each of his final three years.