Ron Gardenhire abruptly announced on Saturday afternoon in a video conference that he would retire as manager of the Detroit Tigers effective immediately citing various health issues.
Gardenhire, 62, was joined by Tigers GM Al Avila who announced bench coach Lloyd McClendon, who has had big league managerial experience with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners, would manage the team for the remainder of the season.
After 13 seasons at the helm of the Minnesota Twins during which he won six AL Central titles, Gardenhire returned to the managerial ranks with the Tigers prior to the 2018 season. Gardenhire was never able to get the Tigers roaring. The team went 64-98 in 2018 - an identical record during Brad Ausmus' last year as Tigers manager in 2017. Then last season the Tigers 47-114 was the worst in all of MLB. At the time of Gardenhire's announcement, the Tigers had improved to a 21-29 record but unlikely to make the post-season.
Gardenhire has had health problems in recent years. In 2017, when serving as the bench coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer requiring a leave of absence. Gardenhire is also a diabetic and suffered a bout of food poisoning earlier this season. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has also contributed to Gardenhire's stress as he expressed concerns prior to the start of the abbreviated 60-game season.
All things considered, Gardenhire has given 40 years of his life to baseball as a player, coach and manager at both the major league and minor league level. The time has come for him to relax and tend to his garden or hire someone to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment