Gardenhire was given the game ball by Tigers right fielder Nicholas Castellanos
DETROIT — After four days of cold weather, rain, crazy finishes and long games, Ron Gardenhire’s first win as manager of the Detroit Tigers was refreshingly swift and easy.
He could thank an old friend for that.
Francisco Liriano, who spent seven years under Gardenhire with the Minnesota Twins, allowed just one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings in the Tigers’ 6-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday at Comerica Park.
« You get the first one out of the way, which is huge for us. Not just for me, for Gardy, too, » Liriano said.
Gardenhire was given the game ball by Tigers right fielder Nicholas Castellanos
« It means a lot to myself and my coaching staff, » Gardenhire said. « We’re here for a reason. We want these guys to play the game the right way, and they’ve been doing that. It’s been a little bit of a hard work the first three days. It didn’t go our way — the weather, the whole package — and we battled our tails off. So to finally get a win today is a relief for everybody.
« For me, personally, I know what this city’s all about and I know what this team’s all about. I’m very proud to be a part of it. Now I’m in their history books. I got one win. »
