Ron Gardenhire Retires as Tigers Manager; Lloyd McClendon to Coach Rest of 2020

Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire is retiring immediately, general manager Al Avila told reporters before Saturday's game against the Cleveland Indians. Avila said the decision is partly health-related, though he did not expand.

Bench coach Lloyd McClendon will finish out the season as Detroit's manager.

Gardenhire joined the club in 2018, four years after a 13-year stint with the rival Minnesota Twins, and led the Tigers to a 132-241 record in two-plus seasons. 

"This is tough," Gardenhire said. "It's a tough day for me. Didn't expect it, to be honest, when I walked in today. But I know the way I've been feeling. I don't want to feel like I'm running out on everybody, but I know I have to take care of my health."

The 62-year-old cancer survivor said he's been feeling off since a bout of food poisoning while in Minnesota, and that the stress of the job has become too much. 

"I have to do what's right for me," Gardenhire said.

An infielder for the New York Mets from 1981 to 1985, Gardenhire became a beloved manager with the  Twins, helping the franchise win a World Series as an assistant coach in 1991 before being named manager in 2002. He'd stay in Minnesota until 2014, winning American League Manager of the Year in 2010 while leading the team to six division titles. 

The 2020 season was the last year of his contract. 

Detroit (21-29) is in the midst of a rebuild led by two of its top prospects in pitchers Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, as the club sits in fourth in the AL Central.

Gardenhire finishes with a career record of 1,200-1,280.