Former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Jim Leyland is one of eight finalists on the Contemporary Era Committee ballot for managers, executives and umpires, which considers candidates since 1980 for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Leyland, 78, was a three-time manager of the year who won 90-plus games seven times, led the Pirates to three NL East Division titles, won a pair of AL pennants with the Detroit Tigers and a World Series championship with the Florida Marlins. He had an 851-863 record as Pirates manager from 1986-96, winning three consecutive division titles from 1990-92, and was twice named NL manager of the year (1990, ’92).
Leyland left for the Marlins, winning the World Series in 1997, before spending one season with the Colorado Rockies in 1999. Leyland returned to managing with the Tigers, where he won 700 games in eight seasons and led them to AL pennants in 2006 and ‘12. Leyland also led Team USA to the 2017 World Baseball Classic title.
Leyland is joined on the eight-person ballot by managers Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson and Lou Piniella; umpires Ed Montague and Joe West; and executives Hank Peters and Bill White, the former NL president. All four managers won World Series championships, with Gaston becoming the first Black manager to do so by leading the Toronto Blue Jays to back-to-back titles in 1992-93.
To gain election, a minimum 75% (or 12 votes) from the 16-member Contemporary Era Committee is required. The voting will be announced on MLB Network’s MLB Tonight at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 from the Winter Meetings in Nashville.
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