Tigers' Ron Gardenhire 'It's Not Easy' to Wear Mask in Dugout Because of Heat

Wearing a mask during his team's intrasquad exhibition game on Wednesday didn't go particularly well for Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire.

Gardenhire said on 97.1 The Ticket's Jamie and Stoney Show that wearing a mask in the dugout was "really hard" and cited the difficulty of doing so during day games in the summer:

"It's also 90-something degrees, they got me in a mask in the dugout. That's a big difference. When it's cold I don't mind wearing that thing, but when it's hot it's not that easy to do. The conversations you have in the dugout are different and I don't want someone saying, 'What, what?' and I have to take my mask off every time. So those are the conversations I'm going to be having, trying to figure this thing out and making sure we can do the right thing."

Anybody who's recently enjoyed the outdoors while donning a protective mask can empathize with Gardenhire. However, the 62-year-old will likely have to get used to the new normal with MLB starting play during the pandemic. He has been an MLB manager or assistant coach since 1991, except for two years. 

MLB's operations manual outlines how managers and coaches are required to wear masks in the dugout at all times. The league also laid out specific seating arrangements in the dugout so that coaches and players could maintain social distancing.

Even the process of laying out his team's lineup will be altered slightly for Gardenhire, with the traditional lineup card exchange between teams at home plate being eliminated for this season.

Gardenhire will have a few more weeks to grow a little more comfortable with his present situation. Detroit has two warm-up games with the Cincinnati Reds on July 21 and 22 before getting the regular season underway on July 24 with a three-game set against Cincinnati.