» TIGERS HIRE FORMER ASTROS MANAGER
DETROIT — A.J. Hinch has said he’s sorry, and shown remorse.
And the Tigers have accepted his apology, naming him the franchise’s 39th manager Friday. It’s Hinch’s third managerial stop, after Arizona (2009-10) and Houston (2015-19); he was fired by the Astros amid the sign-stealing cheating scandal that rocked Major League Baseball, which handed Hinch a one-year suspension.
The suspension ended after the World Series concluded Tuesday night, Tigers general manager Al Avila called him 30 minutes after the last out, and he interviewed with the Tigers on Wednesday and Thursday. He signed a three-year contract Friday.
Hinch, 46, replaces Ron Gardenhire, who retired late in the 2020 season.
In a press release sent out by the Tigers on Friday, Hinch called the last year “the most difficult of my life” — which also included a bout with COVID-19 in September. He met with reporters over Zoom on Friday afternoon.
“Wrong is wrong,” Hinch said, “and it was very wrong.”
Hinch, Avila and Tigers CEO Christopher Ilitch were at the press conference at Comerica Park, wearing masks until they spoke.
Ilitch cited Hinch’s “wealth of baseball knowledge and experience.” Avila cited his “diverse baseball acumen and passion for the game.”
Still, tough conversations took place Wednesday and Thursday.
“As I told Mr. Ilitch and Al both, that’s part of my story. It’s not the Tigers story,” Hinch said in his first in-depth public comments about the sign-stealing scandal since before the baseball season. “I understand the question and I understand how wrong it was.
“I’m sorry for that, I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, and I’ll continue to say that. I’ll never forget the feeling that I’ve had throughout the past year.
“I’m sorry today it has to be a topic, and I understand why.”
Said Avila: “He convinced me he was ready to lead again and the players will follow.”
Hinch was expected to be in play for the White Sox job, a job that seemed more appealing than the Tigers’, given the talent they’ve accumulated. But they shocked the baseball world on Thursday, hiring Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, who supposedly retired in 2011. Hinch said he never interviewed with the White Sox.
The team with the other managerial opening, the Boston Red Sox, seem prepared to bring back Alex Cora, who also served a year-long suspension for his role in the scandal from when he was Hinch’s bench coach in Houston.
The perception is Cora was among the ring leaders in the signstealing operation, and Hinch wasn’t actively involved, but also did little to nothing to stop the scheme — which, while sign stealing long has been a part of the game, went to over the top, with the use of video and banging on dugout garbage cans to tip off the hitters on what pitch was coming. Hinch gave his most-detailed interview with national baseball writer Tom Verducci in February, and the comments stuck with Ilitch.