Jim Leyland elected to Baseball Hall of Fame on 1st ballot; Lou Piniella falls 1 vote short

Jim Leyland, who managed the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship and the Detroit Tigers to two AL pennants, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

Leyland was elected at MLB's winter meetings via a vote of the Contemporary Baseball Era Non-Players Committee, which considers accomplishments since 1980. The Hall of Fame announced the results of the voting Sunday evening.

Leyland shared an image of himself in his bedroom alongside his wife, Katie, at the time he got the call.

Managers Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson and Lou Piniella, umpires Joe West and Ed Montague, and executives Hank Peters and Bill White were also on the ballot, which requires 12 of 16 votes for enshrinement. Only Leyland was elected, with 15 out of 16 votes on his first ballot. Piniella fell one vote short of enshrinement, with 11 on his third try. West, Gaston, Johnson, Montague and Peters each received fewer than five votes.

Leyland, 78, remains involved in baseball as a special assistant to the Tigers. He spent 22 seasons as an MLB manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Tigers. He managed the Pirates to an 856-863 record (.496) over 11 seasons from 1986 to '96 before joining the Marlins in 1997.

He managed the Marlins to a World Series championship in his first season, then left after his second to manage the Colorado Rockies for a single season in 1999. After six years as a scout with the St. Louis Cardinals, Leyland finished his career with the Tigers from 2006 to '13, managing them to AL pennants in 2006 and 2012.

He retired as a manager with a 1,769-1,728 regular-season record (.506) and a 44-40 record (.524) in the postseason. His eight playoff appearances are tied for 10th all time. He was named Manager of the Year three times.

Prior to his managing career, Leyland spent seven seasons in minor-league baseball as a catcher and third baseman from 1964 to '70.