DETROIT _ At 2 p.m., Ron Gardenhire was on his daily Zoom meeting with the media, answering questions like it was just another day.
A couple of hours later, he informed general manager Al Avila that he was retiring _ effective immediately.
"It started out as a pretty routine thing, just talking to Al," said Gardenhire, who was finishing up the third and final season of his three-year contract. "We talked about a few things and I just told him that I was going to retire.
"I'd thought about at the end of the season, but with the way I've been feeling since the bout of food poisoning I had in Minnesota and stomach problems and tension and the stress that goes along with this job _ I told Al I will step out right now.
"I don't want to put any pressure on Al or anyone else. It's been wonderful here, but I also know I need to take care of myself. When you come to the ballpark and you are stressed out all day and your hands are shaking, it's not fun. I've got grandbabies, I've got kids to take care of and my wife _ I just told Al I'm going to step back and take care of myself right now."
Bench coach Lloyd McClendon will take over the managerial duties for the last 10 games.
Gardenhire's last win with the Tigers _ a 6-0 win over the Royals on Tuesday _ was the 1,200th of his career. He was 1,068-1,039 in 13 seasons with the Twins and 132-241 with the Tigers, as he shepherded the early and brutal years of the Tigers' rebuild.
