Ronald Clyde Gardenhire (born October 24,1957) is an American former professional baseball player,coach,and manager. He played as a shortstop for the New York Mets from 1981 through 1985. After another year playing in the minor leagues,he served as a manager in the Minnesota Twins farm system for three years,then as a coach for the Twins from 1991 through 2001,and then as the Twins' manager from 2002 through 2014,winning the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2010. He then coached for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017 and managed the Detroit Tigers from 2018 through most of 2020,when he retired from baseball.
Ron Gardenhire was born to a military family at the U.S. Army base in Butzbach,West Germany.[1] While growing up,he expected to join the military,but his passion for baseball was also encouraged by his father.[2] The family later settled in Oklahoma where he attended Okmulgee High School and college at the University of Texas at Austin.
Playing career
The New York Mets drafted Gardenhire in the sixth round (132nd overall) of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.[3] He played for the Mets for five seasons,from 1981 to 1985. During his playing career,Gardenhire played shortstop,second base,and third base. He was plagued by injuries,especially to his hamstring. Only twice did he play in more than 70 games in a season,in 1982 and 1984.[4] Following the 1986 season,he was traded to the Minnesota Twins,where he played one season for their Triple-A affiliate before retiring as a player.[5]
Gardenhire stood six feet (183cm) tall,and weighed 175 (79kg) pounds during most of his baseball playing career.[4]
Managerial career
Minor leagues
For three years after he retired as a player (1988–90),Gardenhire was a manager in the Minnesota farm system,leading teams in the Class A Midwest League and Class AA Southern League to one second- and two first-place finishes.[5] Gardenhire interviewed for the manager position of the San Francisco Giants in late 1993 and made the final round of finalists;the Giants hired Dusty Baker.[6]
Minnesota Twins
On January 4,2002,Gardenhire was named manager of the Twins,replacing Tom Kelly,who had won two World Series titles with the Twins.[7] In contrast to Kelly's relatively calm,Bud Grant-like coaching style,Gardenhire was a very active and aggressive manager,frequently exiting the dugout to argue with umpires,leading some to joke that "Gardy" got ejected more times in a season than Kelly did in his entire career. In his 13 seasons managing the Twins,Gardenhire was ejected 73 times.[8] An early 2006 television commercial for the Twins pokes fun at this,showing Gardenhire arguing with an office worker planning to go home after work rather than go to the Twins game.[citation needed]
Gardenhire in 2006
Heading into Gardenhire's first season as team manager,the Twins had not been to the postseason since their World Series championship in 1991,and had barely escaped being dissolved entirely by a contraction plan that was aborted by a court ruling which bound the team to their lease with the Metrodome.[9] Under Gardenhire,the Twins had a turnaround season in 2002 as they won the American League Central and made it to the 2002 American League Championship Series.[10]
In thirteen seasons as the Twins' manager,Gardenhire's team had a losing record five times (2007,2011,2012,2013 and 2014),and won the division six times (the Twins lost a one-game playoff to the Chicago White Sox to determine the division champion at the end of the 2008 season). Despite all of the team's regular season success under Gardenhire,the Twins advanced to the American League Championship Series only once –his first season,in 2002 –and did not reach the World Series. In Gardenhire's tenure as the manager of the Twins,the team posted a playoff record of 6 wins and 21 losses. He was the first manager in major league history to take a team to the playoffs six times in a tenure and never make it to the World Series (Bob Melvin joined him in 2020),and he is one of just five managers with at least four playoff appearances to never appear in one.[11]
On November 13,2008,Gardenhire signed a contract extension that kept him as the Twins' manager through the 2011 season.[15] On November 18,2010,the Twins announced a two-year contract extension through 2013.[16] In October 2012,after two consecutive 90-plus loss seasons,Gardenhire was not given a contract extension past the 2013 season. On September 30,2013,despite having another 90-plus loss season for the third year in a row,Gardenhire was given a two-year extension,through 2015. He had 998 career wins at the end of the 2013 season.[17]
Gardenhire earned his 1,000th managerial victory on April 5,2014 with a 7–3 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. He became the 60th manager in Major League history to top one thousand wins. Gardenhire is only the tenth manager to accomplish this feat with only one team,joining the Twins' previous manager,Tom Kelly,on that list.[18]
On September 29,2014,Gardenhire was fired after 13 seasons as Twins manager and 27 years in the Twins organization.[19] The last four years of Gardenhire's tenure were the worst in Twins' history.[20] This included 383 losses and a record of 78–148 from August 1 to the end of the season.[20] His overall regular season record was 1,068–1,039 and his playoff record was 6–21.[21][22]
Gardenhire was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2022.[23]
Detroit Tigers
On October 20,2017,it was announced that Gardenhire had signed a three-year contract to take the helm of the Detroit Tigers beginning in the 2018 season. He succeeded Brad Ausmus,who posted a 314–332 record in four seasons.[24]
In his first game as the Tigers' manager,Gardenhire was ejected after what initially appeared to be a walk-off win in the 10th inning over the Pittsburgh Pirates was overturned on video review. The Tigers lost the game to the Pirates,13–10,in 13 innings.[25]
On September 19,2020,Gardenhire announced his retirement as a manager due to health concerns.[26]
In 1991,Gardenhire became the Twins' third base coach and held that post for 11 full seasons,including the team's 1991 World Series championship.
In November 2016,Gardenhire was hired as the bench coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks.[27] However,after the first seven games of the season,he left the team on a leave of absence for prostate cancer surgery. He was replaced by Jerry Narron,who took over as interim bench coach.[28] After a five-week absence,Gardenhire rejoined the Diamondbacks in May.[29]
Gardenhire is married to Carol (née Kissling). The Gardenhires have three children:son Toby,and daughters Tiffany and Tara.[30]
Toby Gardenhire was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 41st round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft,[31] spent most of his time as a utility player,and rose as high as the AAARochester Red Wings,before retiring as a player.[32] Like his father,Toby was known more for his glove than his bat. After hitting .247 in 103 games at Rochester in 2011,Toby finished with a career line of .232/.291/.274,with six home runs,in 533 minor league games,while seeing playing time at all nine defensive positions,including 2+2⁄3 innings as a pitcher.[32]
Michael Patrick Redmond is an American former professional baseball catcher and manager. He is currently the bench coach for the Colorado Rockies. He played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Florida Marlins, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians. In 864 career games, Redmond recorded a batting average of .287 and accumulated 13 home runs, and 243 runs batted in (RBI).
Joel Patrick Skinner is an American professional baseball manager and coach, and former Major League catcher and manager. Skinner mostly has managed at the minor-league level, save for one half of one season at the helm of the 2002 Cleveland Indians. He is the son of Bob Skinner, a National League outfielder in the 1950s and 1960s, and himself a former MLB coach and skipper.
Jerry Austin Narron is an American professional baseball manager, coach, and former player. He is the current catching coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He recently served as a major league instructor for the Chicago White Sox. Narron played in MLB, primarily as a catcher, for three teams during 1979–87. He has served as manager for the Texas Rangers (2001–02) and the Cincinnati Reds (2005–07).
Terry Lee Steinbach is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 1986 to 1999, most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics team that won three consecutive American League pennants and a World Series championship in 1989. He played his final three seasons with the Minnesota Twins. A three-time All-Star player, Steinbach won the 1988 All-Star Game MVP Award and caught two no-hitters during his career.
Jason James Kubel is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Cleveland Indians.
John Paul "Boof" Bonser is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Oakland Athletics.
Walter William "Chip" Hale is an American professional baseball infielder, coach, and manager. Hale played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1989 through 1997, and managed in MLB from 2015 through 2016. He was named head coach of the Arizona Wildcats of the University of Arizona in July 2021.
Salvatore Anthony "Torey" Lovullo is an American professional baseball manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB), appointed November 4, 2016.
The 1987 Minnesota Twins won the World Series for the first time since moving from Washington in 1961, the second time that the franchise won the World Series. Having won only 85 games during the 1987 regular season, they won the World Series with the then-fewest regular season wins since Major League Baseball expanded to a 162-game season in 1961, and the fewest of any team since the 1889 New York Giants. They also became the first team to win the World Series despite being outscored by their opponents in the regular season, having scored 786 runs and allowed 806.
The 2006 Minnesota Twins Season was the Minnesota Twin's 46th season playing in the Twin Cities and their 106th season in the American League. They were managed by Ron Gardenhire and played their home games in the Metrodome.
Scott Matthew Ullger is an American former Major League Baseball player and coach. He spent 20 seasons (1995–2014) as a coach for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball, serving in four different roles: as third base and first base coach, bench coach and hitting instructor. Ullger was frequently referred to as "Scotty" by Twins faithfuls and by broadcasters Bert Blyleven and Dick Bremer.
Glen Weston Perkins is an American former professional baseball pitcher and a television analyst. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins.
Richard Arlen Anderson is an American former professional baseball pitcher and coach. He played for the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 1988. He served as the pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers of MLB from 2002 to 2020.
Carlos Argelis Gómez Peña, nicknamed Go-Go, is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. Gómez is a two-time MLB All-Star and a Gold Glove Award winner.
Kevin Michael Slowey is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Slowey was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. He also played for the Miami Marlins. After his playing career ended, Slowey joined the Major League Baseball Players Association as an assistant.
Steven Michael Liddle is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager.
Richard Francis Stelmaszek was an American Major League Baseball catcher, and bullpen coach for the Minnesota Twins.
Thomas Gray "The Mayor" Watkins, Jr. is an American former professional baseball third baseman and current coach. He is the third base coach for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Twins. In 2018 he served as manager of the Twins' Double-A affiliate, the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League, after almost a decade as a coach in the Twins' farm system.
The 2014 Minnesota Twins season was the 54th season for the franchise in Minnesota, and the 114th overall in the American League. They were the host team for the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. They finished fifth in the American League Central with a 70–92 record.
The 2020 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 120th season. This was the team's third and final year under manager Ron Gardenhire, and their 21st at Comerica Park. The start of season was delayed by four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tigers finished the season with a 23–35 record, ranking last in their division and third-worst in the major leagues, and missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. For the second straight season, the Tigers pitching staff compiled the MLB's worst team ERA (6.37).
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