Baseball Hall of Fame shows Tigers love despite Jim Leyland's plaque decision

Jim Leyland was officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday alongside Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer. Leyland was the first to enter with 93.75% of the votes from the Contemporary Baseball Committee, who met at Winter Meetings to decide that Leyland would be the only one of eight nominees (made up of managers, executives, and umpires) to make it to Cooperstown this year.

Leyland's legacy with the Tigers as their skipper from 2006 to 2013 is rivaled by his 11 years with the Pirates and World Series win with the Marlins, but his impact in Detroit can't be understated. He was already inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame back in 2017, and the Tigers will retire his jersey (No. 10) on Aug. 3.

There was the question of which team he'd go into the Hall representing, but Leyland took the neutral route and went in with a blank cap on his plaque. It's understandable — he was in Pittsburgh the longest and won Manager of the Year there twice, and he got a ring in Florida, but he also led some of the most successful Tigers teams in the franchise's history and was so agonizingly close to two World Series with them.

If Leyland had chosen a team, it'd probably be like a parent willingly admitting who their favorite kid was. Although Leyland pled the fifth, there are plenty of nods in the museum to his legacy with the Tigers.

Jim Leyland's Baseball Hall of Fame display includes multiple nods to his time with the Tigers

Leyland's display in the museum features a massive picture of him in full Tigers uniform, which Tigers fans could take as a confirmation of what we've all been thinking: Jim Leyland will be remembered as a Tiger. The case full of his memorabilia also puts a game-worn Tigers cap from the 2012 postseason up at the top of the display, accompanied by a fungo bat he used during drills in 2006.

The centerpiece of the case is Leyland's jersey from the 2017 World Baseball Classic, when he led Team USA to their first and so far only WBC title. Other goodies are his ESPY Award from 1998, major and minor league wins from throughout his career, and bronzed shoes from his time with the Marlins as a nod to his two years there.

Speaking at Cooperstown this past weekend during the induction ceremony, Leyland said, "No matter which Hall of Famer you’re here to support today, or which team you cheer for, your presence is always felt. On your feet in the ninth with the home team clinging to a one-run lead. Turning on your television for the first game of the World Series and seeing 50,000 fans waving towels hoping and praying that this may be their year. Or a little boy or girl getting their first autograph and scurrying back to the stands to show Mom and Dad their latest treasure. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s you. That’s baseball. And this is the Hall of Fame." Are you crying? Because we're crying.

Leyland was always going to go into the Hall of Fame, and it was just a matter of time before he got his due. Even though it wasn't explicitly as a Tiger, it's a perfect and deserved final feather in the cap of his storied career.