If people thought Jim Leyland was a miracle worker when he turned around the Pittsburgh Pirates more than 15 years ago, surely no one could have imagined what he did for the Detroit Tigers this season.

Not having managed in six years after burning out with the Colorado Rockies, Leyland accepted the Detroit job during the past off-season, when he admitted at a news conference that he didn't know much about the American League.

Maybe that was just a ploy or the fact he was serving as a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals in the Pittsburgh area, where he still makes his home. Whichever, the American League soon found out who Jim Leyland was.

Having lost 119 games only three years earlier and averaging 100 losses since 2001, the Tigers began the Jim Leyland era with five consecutive wins to open the season before losing the next four.

The return of the old Tigers? Not quite.

The Tigers then took two of the next three games over the Cleveland Indians before dropping a 10-2 decision on a Monday game to wrap up a four-game series and fall to 7-6.

A split with the playoff-caliber Indians. Not bad, right? Very bad, according to Leyland.

In a defining moment of the team's run this year, Leyland blasted his squad for packing it in, for easily accepting giving up the game and looking ahead to a road trip to Oakland and not about taking three of four games.

Saying that attitude has happened there before, but it won't anymore, inspired the team.

They lost to Oakland in the first game to fall to 7-7 but a 12-2 run followed and the Tigers continued to prove, despite a young pitching staff, that it was going to stick around. It would become one of baseball's great stories.

The Tigers hung tough, reaching the All-Star break 30 games over .500 (59-29) and seemed ready to run away with the American League Central Division before the Minnesota Twins' second-half tear.

The Tigers dropped their final five regular-season games, including the final three at home against last-place Kansas City, and lost the division title to the Twins on the final day. They finished one game out and settled for the wild-card berth.

That slip-up meant the Tigers would face another hot second-half team, the New York Yankees and their $200 million payroll.

Detroit was written off for sure, especially after falling behind 5-0 in Game 1 and losing 8-4. What did the Tigers do? They won the next three to win the best-of-five series, which included a 20Z\c-inning scoreless innings streak against the Bronx Bombers.

Leyland, who managed the Pirates from 1986-96, helped turn the storied Pittsburgh franchise around, winning three consecutive division titles from 1990-92 and falling just short of three World Series trips in that span.

Leyland then helped the Florida Marlins win the World Series in 1997.

Whatever the outcome in the American League Championship Series and World Series, Leyland has put Detroit — and himself — back on the baseball map.