RON GARDENHIRE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

2020 season ends 16-year managerial career for Gardenhire  

DETROIT – Ron Gardenhire today announced his retirement, effective immediately, after three seasons as the Tigers manager and a 16-year Major League managerial career. Gardenhire, 62, finishes his managerial career with 1,200 wins, which ranks 46th in MLB history. 

“First off, I’d like to congratulate Gardy for having one of the best managerial careers in baseball history,” said Tigers Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, Al Avila. “His leadership and hard work over three seasons with our ballclub has helped move us towards our goal of bringing winning baseball back to Detroit. His positive impact on our young players will be felt for years to come.” 

“On behalf of all of us with the Detroit Tigers, congratulations to Ron Gardenhire on a tremendous managerial career,” said Detroit Tigers Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Ilitch. “One of the best baseball men around, we’re fortunate to have had Gardy lead our team for the past three seasons, and during this rebuilding period. He has done a great job in shaping the future successes I know our organization will see.” 

“This is a bittersweet day for myself and my family,” Gardenhire said. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the countless players and coaches that I’ve had the honor of working alongside for the last 16 seasons as manager. I’d also like to thank the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins for giving me the privilege of leading their clubhouses. While I’m stepping away from managing, I’ll be watching this group of Tigers closely in the next few years. There’s a lot of talent on this team, and a lot coming through the farm system. Tigers fans are going to enjoy the exciting times on the horizon.” 

Gardenhire was named the 38th manager in Tigers history on October 20, 2017, and finished his tenure in Detroit with a 132-241 record. Gardenhire has managed 2,480 games in his career, which is the 35th-highest total in MLB history, while his 1,200 career wins ranks 46th in big league history. 

Prior to his three years in Detroit, Gardenhire spent 13 seasons as the manager for the Minnesota Twins, leading the organization to six postseason appearances (2002-04, 2006, 2009-10), including a berth in the 2002 American League Championship Series. Gardenhire was the first manager in MLB history to guide his team to the postseason in six of his first nine seasons, and was the fourth manager in MLB history to begin his managerial career with three consecutive first-place finishes, joining Larry Dierker (Astros, 1997-99), Ralph Houk (Yankees, 1961-63) and Hughie Jennings (Tigers, 1907-09). 

Gardenhire finished his Twins tenure with a record of 1,068-1,039, posting the second-most wins in franchise history and becoming one of 25 managers in baseball history to win 1,000-or-more games with a single team.