Detroit Tigers friends and foes greet Don Kelly with one wish: 'A miserable three days'
Don Kelly was the topic, and Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch put on his serious face.
'I hope we make it a miserable three days back in Detroit,' Hinch said on Tuesday, June 17. 'We can cheer him, but let's leave him three days miserable.'
Advertisement
He was speaking of Kelly's return to Detroit, after six years as a coach and nearly three dozen games as an MLB manager. The Pittsburgh Pirates skipper is in the Motor City for the first time this week as a manager, and Hinch wants to make sure that his return to the city in which he spent most of his playing career doesn't deliver a friendly welcome.
Hinch's tone softened quickly, though.
'Everybody loves him,' Hinch said. 'I've been fortunate to be around him a lot, and I'm really proud of how he's taken to coaching and now managing and everything that he brings to the table.'
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly in the dugout before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
GAME 1 IN DETROIT: Wenceel Pérez, Javier Báez bring big bats in Detroit Tigers' 7-3 win over Pirates
Advertisement
The connection between Kelly and Hinch goes back several years. In fact, Hinch gave Kelly his start in on-field coaching, hiring Kelly out of the Tigers' organization as the Houston Astros' first-base coach for the 2019 season. They won an AL pennant together that year. Soon after, Kelly joined then-Pirates manager Derek Shelton's staff as the bench coach. This year, he replaced Shelton on May 8 after the Pirates began the season 12-26. They entered the series against the Tigers at 17-18 under Kelly (though Game 1, on Tuesday, went the Tigers' way).
The Pirates' improvement isn't a surprise to Hinch.
Kelly is known for his ability to connect with players — not a trait that hurts in a locker room used to losing, with six straight seasons under .500 entering 2025.
Hinch also noted Kelly's versatility as a coach, similar to his time on the field. Kelly played every position during his nine big-league seasons (including all but shortstop in Detroit), giving him a variety of perspectives. It also gave him plenty of time watching games from the dugout.
Advertisement
'He's pretty well-rounded,' Hinch said. 'I think part of that comes from being a utility player, part of it is being on the bench a lot to watch a lot of games. He's played for a lot of great managers. He then was so curious about every aspect of baseball operations, with player development, scouting, when he came over at first base, he got a little bit more into baserunning, obviously, the infield, outfield defense, the decisions that go on by managing. And I liked how he could be relatable to the players, and I thought he could impact players, which is why we brought him on our staff.'
The two are good friends, speaking about once a week, in Hinch's estimation, with Kelly leaning on Hinch as he learns the manager's role on the fly . They haven't spoken much this week — neither texts the other when they're about to face off across the diamond — but they keep in contact the rest of the time.
Recently, Hinch called Kelly after the 45-year-old was ejected May 30, for the third time in his first 20 games. His advice? Stop getting ejected.
'He called me and said I should probably stay in the game,' Kelly laughed. 'I've done a pretty good job the last few weeks of doing that. But he's been great. Just to have a sounding board there, to be able to bounce some things off of.'
Detroit Tigers Don Kelly celebrates with Prince Fielder after he hit a walk off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 in game two of the ALDS playoffs, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. KIRTHMON F. DOZIER/Detroit Free Press
It's special to Kelly to return to Detroit, the city he considers his second home. He had so many career moments as a Tiger — his first home run and his first RBI (ironically, both against the Pirates, the team for which he made his MLB debut), his walk-off sacrifice fly against the Oakland Athletics in Game 2 of the 2012 ALDS, his home run against the Yankees in Game 5 of the 2011 ALDS. But his favorite memories of being a Tiger were the team successes.
Advertisement
'Winning the division four straight years at the end and going to the playoffs and the World Series in 2012,' Kelly said of the Tigers' run from 2011-14. 'Those are the biggest memories for me. Comerica being packed and drawing 3 million fans, it was an exciting time.'
Matthew Auchincloss is a reporter with the Detroit Free Press. Connect at mauchincloss@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Detroit Tigers fave Don Kelly back in town as Pirates manager
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
19 minutes ago
- CBS News
Wisconsin and NIL collective sue Miami, allege tampering and NIL inducements to land football player
The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of Miami, alleging it knowingly induced one of the Badgers' football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida this upcoming season. Allegations of tampering rarely get to this level and the 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wisconsin and obtained by The Associated Press, is unusual. Depending on its resolution, it could have a a wider impact on future NIL deals across college athletics. The player in question in the filing is referred to only as "Student-Athlete A." But the case summary describes facts that line up with the situation involving cornerback Xavier Lucas, who last December announced his plans to enter the transfer portal. Shortly afterward, Darren Heitner, who has been representing Lucas, indicated that Wisconsin was refusing to put Lucas' name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk with other schools. In January, Heitner announced that Lucas would be playing for Miami this fall. The situation is fallout from the rapid changes engulfing college athletics, specifically a combination of two things: Athletes went to court and won the ability to transfer with much more freedom and the 2021 NCAA decision clearing the way for them to strike NIL endorsement deals now worth millions of dollars. That has changed the recruiting landscape and forced the issue of contracts and signed commitments to the fore. "Indeed, student-athletes' newfound NIL rights will be rendered meaningless if third parties are allowed to induce student-athletes to abandon their contractual commitments," a portion of the lawsuit reads. Miami and Lucas were in talks before transfer decision, Wisconsin says Wisconsin said in January that it had credible information that Miami and Lucas made impermissible contact with each other before the former Badgers cornerback decided to transfer. Wisconsin and VC Connect allege that the inducement for Lucas to attend Miami happened within days of him entering his NIL agreement to play for the Badgers, and that they incurred substantial monetary and reputational harm. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and "a declaration that Miami's conduct directed towards Student-Athlete A constituted tampering." A message left with the University of Miami seeking comment was not immediately returned. In a text message Friday, Heitner declined to comment on the lawsuit but he said that Lucas still plans to attend Miami and play football. Wisconsin said it had the support of its leadership and the Big Ten Conference in filing the lawsuit, noting its commitment to "ensuring integrity and fundamental fairness in the evolving landscape of college athletics." "While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field," the statement said. "In addition to our legal action, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community. Lucas, who is from Pompano Beach, Florida, had 12 tackles, an interception and a sack as a freshman for Wisconsin last season. Heitner said that Lucas hasn't received any money from Wisconsin and therefore owes no money to the school. Heitner also argued that Wisconsin had violated an NCAA bylaw by not entering Lucas into the transfer database within two business days of the player's request. Wisconsin issued a statement at the time saying it hadn't put Lucas' name in the portal because he had entered a two-year binding NIL agreement. In April, the surprise transfers of brothers Nico and Madden Iamaleava from Tennessee to UCLA prompted fresh questions about contracts and buyouts. Nico Iamaleava, who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, walked away from a reported $2.4 million NIL contract. Arkansas freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava entered the portal after spring practices wrapped up. Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek released a statement indicating he would support efforts by the Razorbacks' NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in athlete contracts. Iamaleava reportedly had a contract valued at $500,000 upon signing with Arkansas.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Opens Up on Calf Injury Before NBA Finals Game 7
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Opens Up on Calf Injury Before NBA Finals Game 7 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton entered the team's first elimination game of these NBA Finals at home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as a great question mark. He had injured his calf in Game 5, and did not look healthy in closing out that game, walking with a notable limp. Advertisement The question going into the win-or-go-home Game 6 for Indiana was two-fold: Would Haliburton play, and if so, would he be effective? We learned early on Thursday that the intention was that Haliburton would be on the floor. And we learned early in the game that he would, indeed, be effective. Haliburton led the Pacers to a laugher in the game, a 108-91 win that will now send the series to a Game 7 finale. Haliburton had 14 points and five assists, but was a plus-25 on the floor, as his presence was what really mattered for Indiana. After the game, he explained what went into him playing in Game 6--and what he'll carry into Game 7, injury-wise. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the first quarter during game six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images "I just look at it as I want to be out there to compete with my brothers. These are guys that I'm willing to go to war with and we've had such a special year, and we have a special bond as a group, and you know, I think I'd beat myself up if I didn't give it a chance," he said. Advertisement "I just want to be out there and fight and just had to have an honest conversation with coach (Rick Carlisle) that, you know, if I didn't look like myself and was hurting the team, like sit me down. Obviously, I want to be on the floor. But I want to win more than anything. So had an honest conversation with coach. But yeah, I want to be on the floor, and if I have the ability to, if I can -- like I said, if I can walk, I want to be out there." He will get one more chance to be out there for the Pacers. That will come Sunday in Oklahoma City for the finale. He said he knows the key for the Pacers will be putting Game 6 behind them and moving on. "Celebrate this one tonight and move on. It's done with. We did our job to take care of home court, and we have to be ready to compete in Game 7," he said. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Celtics Make 'No-Brainer' Payton Pritchard Announcement on Friday
Celtics Make 'No-Brainer' Payton Pritchard Announcement on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. While the Boston Celtics fell short of their championship aspirations in 2024-25, the team had some notable bright spots shine throughout this past year's NBA campaign. Advertisement Fifth-year Celtics guard Payton Pritchard put together the best season of his young NBA career, averaging a career-high 14.3 points on 47.2% shooting from the field and 40.7% shooting from behind the three-point arc. Pritchard accomplished these impressive statistics through 77 games off the bench in 2024-25. As such, he was recognized with the NBA's coveted Sixth Man of the Year trophy earlier this year. Unsurprisingly, Pritchard was also recognized as the Celtics' Sixth Man of the Year winner in an announcement on Friday. "The biggest no-brainer of our Awards Series: our Sixth Man of the Year," the team wrote on X. This Sixth Man of the Year trophy marks Pritchard's second honor of the Celtics' postseason award series. The former No. 26 pick was also recognized as the team's Most Improved Player. Advertisement The Celtics still have one more postseason award to announce: the Sharpshooter of the Year. Pritchard is certainly a candidate for this award as well as he boasted the team's best three-point percentage of any player averaging at least one attempt per game. Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11).Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images The Celtics' 2024-25 season came to an end with a second-round playoff loss the the New York Knicks. In Game 4, Boston superstar Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tendon tear. With Tatum out for the majority of the 2025-26 season, Pritchard will likely serve an even more integral role in the Celtics' upcoming NBA campaign. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
