Jim Leyland

DETROIT - The Detroit Tigers said Tuesday that Jim Leyland would be back in 2013 with a one-year contract extension, two days after the Tigers were swept by San Francisco in the World Series. Leyland, 67, leads all active managers with 1,676 wins, a total that puts him 15th on the career list. Next season will be his 22d as a major-league manager and his eighth in Detroit. He has led the Tigers to the postseason three times and the World Series twice. The Tigers also exercised a $6 million option on shortstop Jhonny Peralta and a $3.5 million option on righthander Octavio Dotel.

Mike Stanton's five-game suspension was upheld yesterday by AL president Gene Budig, who rescinded a $1,000 fine he imposed on the New York Yankees reliever for his role in a brawl. Stanton hit Baltimore's Eric Davis with a pitch on June 15. NL All-Star Game manager Jim Leyland of Florida said his decision to leave Chicago Cubs phenom Kerry Wood off the all-star team was based strictly on numbers. Leyland said he used a formula to pick his pitchers that was based on wins, losses, ERA, wins against teams over .500, quality starts, games with averaging more than one strikeout per inning and games averaging less than one hit per inning.

From a mile high on down to sea level, the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching staff continues to make a statement. This time it was Ramon Martinez, who pitched a six-hit shutout as visiting Los Angeles yesterday beat San Diego, 7-0, in the opener of a four-game series and took a 1 1/2-game lead over the Padres in the National League West. "I would say this is my best game this year," said Martinez (14-6), who won his sixth straight decision. "It keeps the team in first place. " Martinez's masterful game followed Hideo Nomo's no-hitter at Colorado on Tuesday night and Ismael Valdes's seven-inning dominance of the Rockies on Monday.

Soon after Alan Trammell was fired yesterday morning as manager of the Detroit Tigers, Jim Leyland was en route to the Motor City as the leading candidate to replace him. Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski planned to have interviewed former Phillie Juan Samuel and Bruce Fields - both from Trammell's staff - before discussing the opening with Leyland shortly after the regular season ended. "I am driven to move quickly because I think there could be a lot of interest in Jim Leyland," said Dombrowski, adding his search could end as soon as today.

Florida Marlins manager John Boles yesterday endorsed the idea of hiring Jim Leyland as manager, who said Tuesday he would leave Pittsburgh after this season. "I hope we do everything we can to get Jim Leyland," Boles said. "He is the best man for the job. I would be crushed if somebody else hired him. " Boles, who replaced Rene Lachemann at the all-star break, has long had a reputation of putting the organization's interests ahead of his own. If the Marlins hire Leyland, Boles would return to his former job as vice president of player development.

Randy Johnson was much more upset about losing his concentration than he was losing a no-hitter. Johnson, the National League's most dominating pitcher since being traded to Houston, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up four hits in beating the host Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2, last night. Johnson (9-1) suddenly lost his control after six dominating innings, surrendering four hits, hitting a batter and walking another over the next 1 1/3 innings. "I kind of lost my focus, for whatever reason, and it didn't come back," Johnson said.

DETROIT - Saying "dreams come true," Prince Fielder was introduced yesterday by the Detroit Tigers. Fielder appeared at a news conference at Comerica Park after finalizing a $214 million, 9-year contract, the fourth-largest deal in baseball history. "This is awesome," Fielder said. "I just never thought this could happen. " With Detroit desperate to win its first World Series title since 1984, the big first baseman will combine with Miguel Cabrera to give the Tigers perhaps the most formidable Nos. 3-4 hitters in the major leagues.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Detroit Tigers are wet and wounded. After Game 2 of the ALCS in Texas was postponed yesterday because of more rain in the forecast, manager Jim Leyland said the Tigers have lost their second starting outfielder for the series. Magglio Ordonez is done for the postseason after he refractured his right ankle, which was surgically repaired in July 2010. He had missed more than a month this summer because of problems with the ankle, then came out of the twice-interrupted series opener.

Jim Leyland's baseball career has come full circle. The Detroit Tigers hired Leyland yesterday as their manager to replace Alan Trammell, fired a day earlier after three seasons. Leyland, 60, started his baseball career as a catcher in the low minors for the Tigers. He guided the Florida Marlins to the 1997 World Series championship, but has not managed since 1999 with Colorado. "That passion that Jim Leyland has had throughout his career is back within him to manage," Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said.

Gene Michael stepped down as general manager of the New York Yankees yesterday and was named director of the club's major-league scouting. The New York Times said yesterday that Michael, who had been GM since 1990, was permitted by owner George Steinbrenner to develop his own job description, and that he would be involved in selecting his successor. Yesterday's New York Post said Michael chose to resign as GM and accept a scouting role rather than take a pay cut. He is said to have made $550,000 this year.

JIM LEYLAND is returning next year as manager of the Detroit Tigers. The team and its manager quickly ended any remaining speculation about his status by announcing Tuesday that Leyland's contract was extended through 2013. He managed on a 1-year deal this year and led the Tigers to the World Series, where they were swept by the San Francisco Giants. "Detroit is a tremendous baseball town and I couldn't dream of a better place to manage," Leyland said in a statement. "Tigers fans and the people of Michigan have supported us so well during my time here, I can't even begin to express how much that means to me. " The team said Leyland's coaching staff also has been invited to return.

DETROIT - The Detroit Tigers said Tuesday that Jim Leyland would be back in 2013 with a one-year contract extension, two days after the Tigers were swept by San Francisco in the World Series. Leyland, 67, leads all active managers with 1,676 wins, a total that puts him 15th on the career list. Next season will be his 22d as a major-league manager and his eighth in Detroit. He has led the Tigers to the postseason three times and the World Series twice. The Tigers also exercised a $6 million option on shortstop Jhonny Peralta and a $3.5 million option on righthander Octavio Dotel.

ED BARKOWITZ: IT'S IRONIC THAT banished centerfielder Melky Cabrera's All-Star Game MVP performance gave the Giants homefield advantage, which will make for a long World Series. Picking against Justin Verlander is akin to tugging on Superman's cape or spitting into the wind. It's just not a good idea. The Tigers stud is on one of those Orel Hershiser/Josh Beckett-like postseason runs with a 3-0 record and a 0.74 ERA in three postseason starts. This, after winning each of his last four starts and posting a 0.64 ERA. The guy is scorching.

DETROIT - Jose Valverde threw a few pitches during Detroit's workout, then returned to the dugout as upbeat as usual. Valverde's role for the World Series still isn't clear, but the righthander doesn't seem to mind. "I don't care. All I want is to be a champion," he said. "If I had to start, I'd do it. " Valverde has been Detroit's closer for three years and didn't blow a save through all of 2011, but this postseason has been ugly. He lost Game 4 of the division series against Oakland and gave up four runs in the AL Championship Series opener against the New York Yankees.

DETROIT - Prince Fielder waved his arms frantically, gleefully calling off his teammates before catching the final out. From the moment Fielder signed his massive contract in January, an entire city had been waiting for a moment like this. Max Scherzer capped a stupendous stretch for Detroit's starting rotation, and the Tigers advanced to the World Series for the second time in seven seasons by beating the New York Yankees, 8-1, Thursday for a four-game sweep of the AL Championship Series.

IDEALLY, JIM Leyland would have everybody hug it out and play ball. Just as Detroit's Justin Verlander and Coco Crisp of Oakland did on the field for Monday's workout day ahead of their teams' Game 3 in the ALDS on Tuesday. The Tigers lead 2-0 and are one win from advancing to a second straight ALCS. Leyland insists reliever Al Alburquerque meant no ill-will toward the Athletics when he fielded Yoenis Cespedes' ninth-inning comebacker and quickly kissed the ball before throwing to first.

DETROIT - Saying "dreams come true," Prince Fielder was introduced yesterday by the Detroit Tigers. Fielder appeared at a news conference at Comerica Park after finalizing a $214 million, 9-year contract, the fourth-largest deal in baseball history. "This is awesome," Fielder said. "I just never thought this could happen. " With Detroit desperate to win its first World Series title since 1984, the big first baseman will combine with Miguel Cabrera to give the Tigers perhaps the most formidable Nos. 3-4 hitters in the major leagues.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Detroit Tigers are wet and wounded. After Game 2 of the ALCS in Texas was postponed yesterday because of more rain in the forecast, manager Jim Leyland said the Tigers have lost their second starting outfielder for the series. Magglio Ordonez is done for the postseason after he refractured his right ankle, which was surgically repaired in July 2010. He had missed more than a month this summer because of problems with the ankle, then came out of the twice-interrupted series opener.

For the second straight game, the Detroit Tigers extended their winning streak to a length that no Detroit team had achieved since a world-championship season. On Sunday, the Tigers had won their ninth straight. The last Detroit team to do that was the last one to win the world title, the 1984 Tigers. On Monday night, in midsummer weather at U.S. Cellular Field, the Tigers tried to win their 10th in a row. The last Detroit team to do that was the '68 Tigers, who won 11 straight.

Leyland spouts off about officiating Tigers skipper Jim Leyland believes the increased tension between umpires and teams has become a problem in baseball. "For some reason, it appears to me that the tension level is much more than it should be between managers, players, coaches, and umpires," Leyland told the Detroit News. "I know Joe Torre [Major League Baseball's executive vice-president of operations] is trying to get it resolved, but right now the tension seems worse.