Minnesota Twins: Three New Additions to the Twins Hall of Fame

Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer: Ron Gardenhire (2002-2014)

Our first newly minted Hall of Famer is Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire, the second-longest tenured manager in Minnesota Twins history and the second manager elected to the Twins Hall of Fame. Though Gardenhire never found a lot of playoff success, his tenure in Minnesota meant so much more than that.

Gardy, as he was affectionately known, won six division titles with the team and was a very good player’s manager, building strong relationships with his team and doing a lot of the same things that his former teacher and the first manager inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame, Tom Kelly.

Gardenhire started as a minor league manager for the Twins farm system shortly after he retired with the Twins farm system in 1987, managing the Single-A then Double-AA clubs from 1988-1990. In 1991, Gardenhire was promoted to the major leagues as third base coach, a position he held with the team until 2001, when the team promoted him to replace Kelly.

Gardenhire had the benefit of working with a revamped roster, and he kept the team very competitive throughout the first nine years of his tenure. Even after he was let go by the Twins and was brought on by the Detroit Tigers, he still was thought of very highly by the organization and fans.

Now, the Twins Hall of Fame will forever have Gardenhire and his legendary temper enshrined forever. In the meantime, let’s look back at some of the best ejections from his tenure: