suddenly discombobulated New York Yankees 4–0 in the ALCS. Laird had the key hit that put the Tiger's ahead in Kansas City the night they beat the Royals to clinch the AL Central for 2012. He was in his second World Series in a row, which the Tigers lost to the San Francisco Giants 4–0, and became a free agent on October 29. Atlanta Braves After former Braves backup David Ross signed with Boston for a two-year contract early in the off-season, the Braves scavenged the open market for a backup catcher. They found Laird, signing him to a two-year, $3 million contract with up to $750,000 in performance bonuses based on games played. With Brian McCann leaving in free agency, Laird handled the primary backup role to Evan Gattis in 2014. Laird ended his tenure with the Braves posting a .204 batting average. Arizona Diamondbacks On February 2, 2015, he signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. A back injury sustained during the first month of the season ended Laird's season. He was designated for assignment on August 20, 2015 and released on August 24. Toros de Tijuana On June 16, 2016, Laird signed with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican Baseball League. Minor league managing career He retired at the end of the 2016 season to become the manager of the Single-A Detroit Tigers affiliate, the Connecticut Tigers of the New York–Penn League. Personal life Laird is represented by sports agent Scott Boras. His younger brother, Brandon has also played in MLB. References External links 1979 births Living people Texas Rangers players Detroit Tigers players St. Louis Cardinals players Atlanta Braves players Arizona Diamondbacks players Cypress Chargers baseball players Southern Oregon Timberjacks players Arizona League Athletics players Visalia Oaks players Modesto A's players Tulsa Drillers players Team USA players Oklahoma RedHawks players Arizona League Rangers players Memphis Redbirds players Gwinnett Braves players American baseball players of Mexican descent Baseball players from California Major League Baseball catchers People from Westminster, California