Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland announced his retirement after eight seasons not long after his team's loss to the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Oct. 19, giving up their place in the World Series.

The announcement comes just two days after the team lost 5-2 against the Sox, who are now headed to the World Series, where they will face off against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The official announcement made on the team's Twitter page stated, "#Tigers manager Jim Leyland announces he is retiring after 8 seasons as the skipper of the Detroit Tigers. #ThanksJim."

Leyland saw the team through three American League championships. He got the Tigers to two World Series Appearances in 2006 against the Cardinals and in last year's series, where they lost to the San Francisco Giants in a four-game sweep.

Leyland's official comments were also featured in a series of tweets on the team's page, including "It's time. The fuel was starting to get low," "I want to retire a Tiger," and "So long. It's not goodbye. And from the bottom of my heart thank you for having me."

Leyland joined the team in 2005 as part of an attempt to rebuild the franchise, which suffered from loss statistics in years prior, including a 2003 season that saw only 43 wins and 119 losses.

The most recent tweet on the team page at time of publication attested to Leyland's success in helping rebuild the franchise: "'I came here to make talent a team, and I think we did that'-Jim Leyland #ThanksJim."

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