Chart: Ron Gardenhire's 28 years in Minnesota

1986: After five seasons in the Mets organization, including as their starting shortstop in 1982, Gardenhire, then 29, is traded to the Twins Nov. 12 for a player to be named later (Donnie Iasparro).

1987: Gardenhire competes for a utility infielder's spot but loses out (as does Ron Washington) to Al Newman. Gardenhire plays for the Twins' Class AAA team at Portland, batting .272.

1988: At age 30, Gardenhire is named manager at Class A Kenosha; his team goes 81-59 and loses in the Midwest League finals.

1989-90: Promoted to manage Class AA Orlando, where he has a winning record in both seasons.

1991: Joins the Twins coaching staff under manager Tom Kelly, replacing Rick Renick at third base. The Twins win the World Series in Gardenhire's first year as coach.

1992-2001: Remains on Kelly's staff, coaching third and first base and spending one season as bench coach after rupturing his Achilles' tendon. The Twins endure eight losing seasons in a row from 1993 to 2000.

2002: Named the 12th manager in Twins history on Jan. 4 after Kelly's resignation, even though the team remained under the threat of contraction. The Twins avoid being eliminated, then win the AL Central by 13½ games and advance to the ALCS, where they lose in five games to the Angels.

2004: Becomes the fourth manager in major league history to start his career with three consecutive first-place finishes. The Twins win Game 1 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium, then lose the next three for the second year in a row.

2005: The Twins miss the playoffs but finish with a 83-79 record, making Gardenhire the first manager in team history to have four consecutive winning seasons.

2006: The Twins, after falling to 25-33 in early June, rallied to finish with Gardenhire's best record at 96-66, first clinching a wild card with a week to go and then winning the division on the final day of the season, the only day they were in first place all year. But they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by Oakland.

2007: Gardenhire has his first losing season as manager as the Twins finish 79-83, finishing 17 games behind Cleveland.

2008: The Twins and White Sox are never separated by more than 2½ games atop the AL Central for the season's final two months. The White Sox forced a Game 163, played in Chicago because they won a coin flip, and they win the one-game playoff 1-0, the only run coming on Jim Thome's homer off Nick Blackburn.

2010: After five second-place finishes, Gardenhire is named AL Manager of the Year for the first time in his career. The Twins win the AL Central for the sixth (and final) time in his tenure but were swept again by the Yankees, dropping Gardenhire's postseason managing record to 6-21, including 12 losses in a row. After the season, Gov. Tim Pawlenty declares Nov. 22 as Ron Gardenhire Day in Minnesota.

2011: The lean years begin. The Twins lose a career-high 99 games after many people predicted they would win another division title.

2012: The troubles continue as the Twins finish 66-96. The front office tells Gardenhire the coaching staff needs to be shaken up. Three coaches are fired, including longtime bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek.

2013: Another poor season as the Twins again go 66-96. After speculation about Gardenhire's future, he is given a two-year contract.