Minnesota Twins Manager, Ron Gardenhire, was born October 24, 1957 in Butzbach, West Germany. He is a 1975 graduate of Okmulgee (OK) High School where he was an All-State shortstop. He majored in physical education at University of Texas and also set a school record of 10 RBI’s in a single game. He was captain and All-Conference shortstop in his senior year, leading the Longhorns to a Southwest Conference championship and fourth place in the College World Series. He was drafted by the New York Mets' in 1997 as a sixth round pick in the free agent draft.
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In his baseball career, Gardy was six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds. He played five seasons of baseball with the Mets from 1981 to 1985. He was the first German-born player ever to play in the Major Leagues. In his career, he played shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman. During his career, he was often plagued by injuries, especially to his hamstring muscle. Only twice in his career, in 1982 and 1984, did he play over 70 games in the season.
For three years after he retired, he was a manager in the minors. In 1991, Gardy joined the Twins as a third-base coach. On January 4, 2002, Ron Gardenhire was named the manager of the Twins, replacing Tom Kelly, who had won two World Series titles with the Twins. Compared to Tom’s relatively calm, Bud Grant-like coaching style, Ron is a very active and aggressive manager, frequently exiting the dugout to argue with the umpire. People often joke that "Gardy" gets ejected more times in a season than Tom Kelly did in his entire career.
In 2002, Ron Gardenhire was named manager of the Twins and signed a two-year contract with a club option for 2004. He scored his first win as Twins' manager, on April 1 vs. Kansas City and boasts about his first career ejection 10 days later, on April 11 vs. Cleveland. In 2003, he recorded his 100th career win as manager and became just the fourth manager in American League history to begin his managerial career with consecutive first place finishes. He was the first manager in Twins history to lead a team to consecutive playoff appearances and was just the second Twins manager to lead a team to the postseason twice.
In 2004, Gardy continued his success as Twins Manager. He recorded his 200th career win as manager and his 15th career ejection (fourth of the season). He became just the fourth manager in Major League history to begin his managerial career with three straight first place finishes. He became the first American League manager to finish in first place in each of his first three years as manager. He was also the first manager in Twins history to lead a team to three playoff appearances. He tied for Manager of the Year voted by The Sporting News.
There is no doubt that Ron Gardenhire is passionate about baseball and passionate about his Twins. He is a good manager and liked by fans and players alike. The Twins have wisely extended his contract through 2007 hoping for another chance in the playoffs under his leadership.
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