Jim Leyland has walked the hallowed grounds of Cooperstown, where his plaque currently resides as a member of the 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame class.
On Sunday at loanDepot park, Leyland was humbled once again by his enshrinement into the Marlins Legends Hall of Fame. Despite the short length of his South Florida stint in a long and illustrious career, it was an impactful one. Leyland stood in awe at the Marlins Museum, which features murals and memorabilia celebrating his 1997 World Series championship-winning ballclub.
As the festivities continued pregame on the field, Leyland received a teal Hall of Fame jacket and was joined by members of that team: Jeff Conine, Luis Castillo, Antonio Alfonseca and Alex Arias. Conine was honored as the inaugural member in March, while Castillo will be feted on Aug. 24.
“It's great,” Leyland said. “It’s absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't even imagine what it looked like when they were telling me about it, but it’s absolutely beautiful. It's great history.”
A two-time Manager of the Year (‘90, ‘92 with Pittsburgh) when he reunited with general manager Dave Dombrowski in Florida, Leyland took over a Marlins team that had brought in veterans like Bobby Bonilla and Moises Alou to complement homegrown players Charles Johnson and Edgar Renteria.
Expectations were high, but that didn’t matter to the Marlins, who took care of business from Spring Training through the Fall Classic’s dramatic Game 7 walk-off in front of 67,204 fans. Leyland would return in 1998 to a rebuilding club before moving on to the Rockies (‘99) and Tigers (2006-13).
His 22-year MLB managerial career led to the 18th-highest win total (1,769) in history, eight postseason appearances, three league pennants and three Manager of the Year honors.
“What a genuine, just gracious man,” current Marlins’ skipper Clayton McCullough said. “He took some time to sit in the office and meet with myself and the coaches and just chopped it up a little bit. He's got such an incredible journey, long time in the Minor Leagues, long time in the big leagues. He's kind of seen and done it all, and you sit down with him and you wouldn't even know it. It was just a very warm interaction.
“Certainly appreciated him willing to take the time and sit down and just chop it up with us for a little bit on what was a special day for him, and a well-deserved day for what he'd done here and in his whole career.”
While Leyland deflected any credit for his managerial tree, he did offer advice to McCullough. Craig Counsell, who scored the winning run in Game 7, is in his 11th season as a big league manager. Both bench coach Jerry Manuel and pitching coach Larry Rothschild became first-time MLB skippers in 1998.
“‘As a manager, you're usually only liked if you win and things are good, and if not, then it's going to be your fault,’” McCullough recalled Leyland saying. “‘You know what, Jim? I'm going to remember that. Try to win more.’”