NASHVILLE -- Jim Leyland never thought of Cooperstown during his career. In fact, for years, he didn't even know if the majors would be possible.
"All those years in the minor leagues, I never really thought about coaching in the big leagues," Leyland said over Zoom Sunday night. "I was just a minor-league manager. I never really thought I would get that opportunity later in my career."
By the time he got to Class AAA, he thought maybe one day he could coach in the majors. A few years after that and a stop as an assistant with the White Sox, he got his chance to manage with the Pirates.
And the rest, now, is history.
The longtime Pirates skipper was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee at the Winter Meetings in Nashville Sunday, where he received 15 of 16 possible votes. He was the lone person on the ballot to receive the 12 votes necessary to be inducted.
"It's the highest honor you can get in our business," Leyland said. "I'm just thrilled excited, surprised, flattered. All those words come into play when you're thinking about this."
Leyland managed the Pirates from 1986-1996, the longest stop in his 22-year managerial career. He would go on to win the 1997 World Series with the Marlins and two more pennants with the Tigers in 2006 and 2012, as well as the World Baseball Classic in 2017.
But it was arguably the Pittsburgh years that Leyland is best known for, leading a team in the shadow of the Drug Trials and looming threat of relocation to three straight division titles from 1990 to 1992, becoming a legendary Pittsburgh sports figure for his fiery approach. He bookended that run with two manager of the year awards in 1990 and 1992. Of his 1,769 major-league wins, 851 of them came with the Pirates, the third-most in the franchise's history.
"The entire Pirates organization is elated to hear the news of Jim Leyland being voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame," Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement released by the team. "We take great pride in having hired Jim for his first Major League managerial position in 1986... A long-time Pittsburgher and a true baseball man, we look forward to celebrating this historic achievement with Jim as he enters the hallowed halls in 2024."
"The Pirates will always hold a special place in my heart because they have me my first opportunity to manage a major-league team," Leyland said.
Even on the day he received baseball's highest honor, in true Leyland fashion, he was quick to bring up in his Zoom that he was "not a very good player" when reflecting on the most talented players he got to manage. A little self depreciation to warm up the room.
But his credentials were unquestionable, which is why when that phone call from the Hall of Fame came in, with his son Patrick joining him, one of the bulldogs of his generation got misty-eyed.
"I couldn't believe it," Leyland said. "There was definitely a tear in my eye."
It was his management of players -- both superstars and bench guys -- that made Leyland such a beloved figure among his players. Whether it was Barry Bonds and Doug Drabek or John Wehner and Don Kelly, there are plenty of players who swear by their former skipper.
"We all have our insecurities," Leyland said. "Even great players, they're looking for leadership. So I tried to impress upon them what it meant to be a professional. This game is hard to play, and I'd also tell them every day how good they were."
Who better to hear that from than someone who knows from personal experience what a bad player is like.
Leyland will be inducted into Cooperstown alongside any players who receive enough votes through the Baseball Writers Association of America vote on July 21. A fitting end for the man who never thought he would even reach the majors.
"It's the final stop, really, as far as your baseball career goes," Leyland said. "To end up there, land there in Cooperstown, it doesn't get better than that. I certainly never thought it was going to happen. Most people probably don't. But it did, and I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it."
DK Pittsburgh Sports published an in-depth feature on the best Leyland stories earlier this week, which can be found here.
