Tigers
pick
former
rival,
hire
Gardenhire
as new
manager
By
NOAH
TRISTER
AP
Sports
DETROIT
- The
Detroit
Tigers
have
hired
Ron
Gardenhire
as their
manager,
bringing
the
longtime
Minnesota
Twins
skipper
back to
the AL
Central
to take
over a
team in
the
middle
of a
significant
rebuilding
process.
The
Tigers
announced
the move
Friday,
saying
Gardenhire
has
agreed
to a
three-year
contract.
Then
Gardenhire
was
introduced
at a
news
conference
at
Comerica
Park.
“I’ve
been
here,
battled
here
against
this
team for
a long
time,”
Gardenhire
said.
“Always
respected
it.”
Gardenhire
takes
over for
Brad
Ausmus,
who was
let go
after
four
seasons
as
Detroit’s
manager.
The
Tigers
went
64-98
this
season,
finishing
tied for
the
worst
record
in the
majors.
The
59-year-old
Gardenhire
was the
bench
coach
this
season
for the
Arizona
Diamondbacks.
He
managed
the
Twins
from
2002-14,
going
1,068-1,039.
He’s one
of 10
managers
in
baseball
history
to win
at least
1,000
games
with one
team.
The
Twins
won the
division
six
times in
Gardenhire’s
first
nine
seasons
in
charge,
and he
was
voted AL
Manager
of the
Year in
2010.
Ausmus
had
little
managerial
experience
when he
was
hired to
replace
Jim
Leyland
after
the 2013
season.
Detroit
won a
fourth
straight
division
crown in
its
first
season
under
Ausmus,
but the
Tigers
haven’t
made the
postseason
since.
Gardenhire
certainly
has
plenty
of
experience
managing,
and he
also was
the
third
base
coach in
1991
when the
Twins
won the
World
Series.
He held
various
roles on
the
coaching
staff
before
being
hired as
Minnesota’s
manager.
Gardenhire
revealed
this
past
February
that he
had
prostate
cancer.
He had
surgery
April 18
and was
back
with the
Diamondbacks
about a
month
later.
Arizona
enjoyed
a
successful
turnaround
this
season
under
first-year
manager
Torey
Lovullo,
winning
the NL
wild-card
game
before
getting
swept by
the Los
Angeles
Dodgers
in the
division
series.
The
Tigers
traded
Justin
Verlander,
Justin
Upton
and J.D.
Martinez
earlier
this
year.
Detroit
announced
late in
the
season
that
Ausmus
wouldn’t
be back,
and it
may take
a while
for the
team to
contend
again.
Even
before
this
season
started,
the
Tigers
indicated
they
would
need to
trim
payroll,
and
although
they
began
2017
with a
roster
full of
familiar
names,
they
committed
fully to
a
rebuild
after
falling
out of
contention.