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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: TIGERS v RANGERS

October 10, 2011

Jim Leyland

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Game Two

THE MODERATOR: First question for Jim Leyland today.

Q. Jim, what was your roster move?
JIM LEYLAND: Delmon Young is going to be activated and will play.

Q. How did you --
JIM LEYLAND: Batting third.

Q. How is his condition, and how did you guys come to that decision?
JIM LEYLAND: Well, as it turns out, it's better for medical people. It's not really the oblique oblique, it's in here more. It's one they didn't think was real serious to start with, but they didn't want to take any chances. He did not swing yesterday. He was tested by the doctors. Did all other kind of workouts and exercised yesterday. I just spoke with him. We were going to wait. It was kind of going to be kind of like the NFL kind of a game-time decision.
But we've already made the decision. He's fine, swinging good. And he will play.

Q. Jim, have you talked to Magglio since yesterday?
JIM LEYLAND: I have. I spoke with Magglio and that's a real sad one, obviously. It is fractured, and he's obviously out for the season. But I did speak with him last night, yes. Obviously, the disappointment and all that stuff that goes with it. But, hey, that's the way it is. So we have to move on.

Q. Can you talk about other options you had, other than Delmon Young?
JIM LEYLAND: Yeah, the only other options we would have had -- I won't name names -- but it probably would have been somebody maybe to pinch run, and then we could have used one of those other players to put in the game.
We probably could have gotten somebody to possibly pinch run if we needed. We probably would have brought somebody up for that reason. We didn't really have an ideal fit, if that's what you're looking for.
We got a couple of options that might have been left-handed hitters that were -- that's Dirks and Kelly, so that wasn't a major difference.
We might have brought somebody up to run if necessary and had one of those players on the bench that does the running now in the game or involved somehow maybe.

Q. You mentioned the other day that you feel you're having a lot of fun, you have a lot of energy. Can you compare that with various points in your career, maybe after Florida, after Colorado?
JIM LEYLAND: I'm sorry? I was kind of born in this organization in 1963, to be honest with you. This was a real treat to get this opportunity, and we're having a ball, and when you go to postseason, you're supposed to be having a ball. That's what it's all about.
But ever since I've come back after that little sabbatical, I come back. I've had a lot of energy and I've enjoyed Detroit and we've been to the World Series once, and hopefully we have an opportunity to get to another one.
So it's been great. I really thoroughly enjoyed it.

Q. Jim, a two-part question about Brandon Inge: First of all, talk about how he's managed to battle back after being sent down and be such an integral part of your team.
Secondly, when he was DFA'd, was there a part that thought that was the last he would be playing as a Tiger at the time?
JIM LEYLAND: Anybody does what he did, you have to certainly take your hat off to him. I thought it was very impressive. I think he's been a Tiger his whole career. I think he probably wants to end it that way. He could have taken the easy route out and not gone down, asked for his release or whatever.
But he didn't do that. He is a big part of our team. He's obviously one of the better defenders in baseball. He's come back, he's hit left-handed pitching pretty good.
He's a trooper. We got a lot of them. So it's been kind of a nice story. It worked out pretty good. Here he is in postseason.

Q. Jim, Doug Fister, for a guy without a lot of big game experience handled himself pretty well in New York. What have you learned about him in the short time you've had him?
JIM LEYLAND: Scherzer?
THE MODERATOR: Fister.
JIM LEYLAND: Obviously when we made the trade he was kind of under the radar. We knew we were getting a good pitcher. We didn't know he would be this good. I would be lying if I said we thought he would be this good. He doesn't seem to be rattled. He's aggressive. He's a fierce competitor. He does a nice job. He went right after the Yankees. I respect him. That's the way he pitched ever since he got over here and that's the way we saw him when he pitched against us when he was with Seattle.
We think that was a good find. Dave made a great deal. The key is we have him for a good period of time. He wasn't going to be a runner pitcher. We have him for years to come, so that works out well for us.

Q. Can you talk please about your time in Venezuela? I know you quit.
JIM LEYLAND: I think it was different over there then than it is now. It was great. I didn't stay the whole time. I stayed mostly I worked for Mr. Prieto. It was great. The one thing I did find out was I used to really -- when I was a lot younger, I didn't really understand how tough it was for Venezuelans and Dominican players to come over here and adjust to everything.
Being from here, I never thought about how difficult that was for them. When I went to Venezuela and all of a sudden the shoe was on the other foot, it was a great experience for me. I mean, I was out there the first day with a clipboard trying to learn these Venezuelan phrases, all this (expletive deleted) was going -- it was great.
I was dealing and wheeling. I thought -- you know, it was really a good experience for me. I really enjoyed it. I was in Caracas. It was a beautiful place. They have no such thing as an itinerary when I was there. The bus might leave from anywhere from 3:00 to 5:00. That was a little bit of a culture shock. Over here you're used to the time. It was great.

Q. Why did you leave?
JIM LEYLAND: I didn't -- I just -- I come from a big family. I had never been away for Christmas and that. I just wasn't going for eating pollo by the roadside on Christmas Day. No offense to anybody, but that wasn't me.

Q. Jim, back to Magglio. Did you ever pinpoint how he broke the ankle? Because he was intentionally walked before the rain delay, and then he was gone. When did this happen?
JIM LEYLAND: Well, what happened was that was -- he was on base, then the delay came up, and then Kevin came in and said Magglio can't go. So I replaced him immediately with Donnie Kelly.
We didn't know anything about it. Magglio actually told me before -- he said it felt a little bit different before the game. It felt like it wasn't exactly right.
He didn't really think that much of it. In fact, let me take that a little step if further. He thought maybe it was because of the weather, it was raining and stuff. I guess that affects those kind of injuries with the screw in there. He thought maybe that's what it was all about. But then it got worse. As we found out, it's broken.

Q. In hindsight is 2020. We had a horrible forecast yesterday, but it apparently didn't rain. What's your thought now that you had the extra day and really we could have been playing last night probably?
JIM LEYLAND: This is kind of a mystery. I was telling somebody if somebody buys an umbrella down here, they cancel school evidently. I don't know. So anyway -- but I disagree with everybody that I've watched on television this morning that says this is a big advantage for the Rangers, because of their bullpen, Ogando. I disagree with that totally.
I it's just as much an advantage for us. Scherzer got another day's rest. I think this works in our favor. Plus now we're going to play four straight days. I don't see where it's a big advantage to the Rangers like everybody else says. I'm not saying it's a big advantage to us either, but I don't think it's more of an advantage for them. I think it works just as well for us as them.

Q. With Miguel, do you think his approach recently in the last few games with the postseason pitching being better than probably what he's seen in the regular season has been affected by the thought in the back of his mind are these guys maybe pitching around me or is something like that going on with his approach?
JIM LEYLAND: Might have been a better question for him. I think he's the same all the time. He's been -- I've seen him locked in for the last two months unbelievable. He looked like a man on a mission to win the batting title. I think he's still on that mission.
So that might be a better question for him. I don't see anything. Every once in a while he strays, swings at a bat pitch. But that happens to everybody.
So I don't really see any difference. I think he's been on a mission for a couple of months. I think he made up his mind he was going to win the batting title, and he won it.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for coming in.

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