Ron Gardenhire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ron Gardenhire
Gardenhire with the Minnesota Twins, 2013
Shortstop / Manager / Coach
Born: (1957-10-24) October 24, 1957 (age 67) Butzbach, Hessen, West Germany
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
September 1, 1981, for the New York Mets
Last appearance
October 6, 1985, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
Batting average	.232
Home runs	4
Runs batted in	49
Managerial record	1,200–1,280
Winning %	.484
Teams
As player New York Mets (1981–1985) As manager Minnesota Twins (2002–2014) Detroit Tigers (2018–2020) As coach Minnesota Twins (1991–2001) Arizona Diamondbacks (2017)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (1991) AL Manager of the Year (2010) Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame

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 to 1985. After playing, he managed teams in the Minnesota Twins' minor league system. He then became a coach for the Twins from 1991 to 2001. From 2002 to 2014, he was the Twins' manager, winning the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2010. Later, he coached for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017 and managed the Detroit Tigers from 2018 until he retired in 2020.

Ron Gardenhire's Early Life

Ron Gardenhire was born in Butzbach, West Germany, into a military family. Growing up, he thought he might join the military. However, his dad also encouraged his love for baseball. His family later moved to Oklahoma. There, he went to Okmulgee High School and then the University of Texas at Austin.

Ron Gardenhire's Playing Career

The New York Mets picked Ron Gardenhire in the 1979 baseball draft. He played for the Mets for five seasons, from 1981 to 1985. During his time as a player, Gardenhire played shortstop, second base, and third base. He often had injuries, especially to his leg muscles. He only played in more than 70 games in a season twice. After the 1986 season, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins. He played one more season for their minor league team before he stopped playing baseball.

Ron Gardenhire was six feet (183 cm) tall. He weighed about 175 pounds (79 kg) during most of his playing career.

Ron Gardenhire's Managerial Career

Managing in the Minor Leagues

After he stopped playing, Ron Gardenhire became a manager in the Minnesota Twins' minor league system. For three years (1988–1990), he led teams in Class A and Class AA leagues. His teams often finished in first or second place.

Managing the Minnesota Twins

On January 4, 2002, Ron Gardenhire became the manager of the Minnesota Twins. He took over from Tom Kelly, who had led the Twins to two World Series wins. Gardenhire was known for being a very active and energetic manager. He often left the dugout to argue with umpires. Some people joked that he was ejected from more games in one season than Tom Kelly was in his whole career! In his 13 seasons with the Twins, Gardenhire was ejected 73 times.

Gardenhire in 2006

Before Gardenhire became manager, the Twins had not been to the postseason since 1991. In 2002, Gardenhire's first year, the Twins had a great turnaround. They won their division, the American League Central. They even made it to the 2002 American League Championship Series.

During his 13 seasons as the Twins' manager, Gardenhire's team had a losing record five times. But they won their division six times! Even with all their regular season success, the Twins only reached the American League Championship Series once, in 2002. They never made it to the World Series under his leadership. In the playoffs, his teams won 6 games and lost 21.

Gardenhire won the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2010. He also finished as a runner-up for the award five other times. In 2014, Ron Gardenhire earned his 1,000th win as a manager. This made him the 60th manager in Major League history to reach this milestone. He was also one of only ten managers to achieve this with just one team.

On September 29, 2014, Gardenhire was let go after 13 seasons as the Twins manager. His last four years with the team were challenging. His total regular season record was 1,068 wins and 1,039 losses. In 2022, Ron Gardenhire was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.

Managing the Detroit Tigers

On October 20, 2017, Ron Gardenhire signed a three-year contract to manage the Detroit Tigers. This started with the 2018 season. In his very first game as the Tigers' manager, he was ejected! This happened after a play that seemed like a game-winning hit was changed by video review.

On September 19, 2020, Gardenhire announced he was retiring as a manager. He made this decision because of health reasons.

Managerial Record Overview

Here's a quick look at Ron Gardenhire's record as a manager:

Ron Gardenhire's Coaching Career

In 1991, Gardenhire became the third base coach for the Twins. He held this job for 11 seasons. This included the year the team won the 1991 World Series.

In 2016, Gardenhire was hired as the bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had to take a break early in the season for surgery. After about five weeks, he returned to the team in May.

Ron Gardenhire's Family Life

Toby Gardenhire with the New Britain Rock Cats in 2009

Ron Gardenhire is married to Carol. They have three children: a son named Toby, and two daughters, Tiffany and Tara.

His son, Toby Gardenhire, was also drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2005. Toby played mostly as a utility player, meaning he could play many different positions. He reached the highest level of minor league baseball before he stopped playing. Like his dad, Toby was known more for his good defense than his hitting.

After coaching college baseball, Toby Gardenhire joined the Twins' system. Since 2021, Toby has managed the Twins' top minor league team, the St. Paul Saints.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball managers with most career ejections
• List of Major League Baseball managers with most career wins