Posted by Jeff Lubbers on Friday, June 19, 2009 at 5:25 pm

Major League Baseball is reporting that the Detroit Tigers have signed manager Jim Leyland to a two-year extension that would keep him in a Tigers’ uniform through the end of the 2011 season.

Despite a record of just 35-31, worst in baseball among first place teams, Detroit has been in first place in the American League Central since May 10.  The Tigers have yet to truly catch fire or go stone cold this season as they have just a single winning streak longer than three games (7 games) and just two losing streaks longer than three games (4 games each). 

Leyland has already brought a measure of stability to the manager’s position for a team that had seen five managers in the 10 years following Sparky Anderson’s departure in 1995.  Leyland is already the 10^th-longest tenured manager in Detroit history and if he stays in Detroit through the remainder of his contract extension he will become the 4^th-longest in team history behind Sparky Anderson, Hughie Jennings, and Bucky Harris, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame.

Leyland is currently the 22^nd-longest tenured manager in baseball history and ranks 25^th in career wins as a manager with 1,361.  If he manages through the 2011 season he will crack the top fifteen in games managed in his entire career.