Terry Ryan became one of baseball’s most revered general managers this decade by doing more with less. He didn’t wear a uniform, but he was a major player in Minnesota’s recent success.
The demands of the job began to bother him, though, and Ryan became ready for a different role. After 13 years as GM of the Twins, which included four postseason appearances, Ryan, 53, announced his resignation Thursday – effective at the end of the month.
Assistant general manager Bill Smith will replace him, and Ryan will be his senior adviser.
“I felt a lot of elation when we won and sorrow when we lost,” Ryan said. “Now all of a sudden, the defeats are getting a little harder to take, and the wins aren’t as much fun. That’s not a good thing to experience as a general manager.”
The Twins won the American League Central last season for the fourth time in five years, but they’re two games under .500 this season and well out of the playoff chase.
“If we won 100 games this year or lost 100 games, this was going to happen,” Ryan said.
Cubs: First baseman Derrek Lee was scratched from the starting lineup against the Houston Astros because of a bruised right knee.
Orioles: Manager Dave Trembley and pitcher Daniel Cabrera were suspended by Major League Baseball for their roles in separate incidents during the past week.
Trembley was suspended for three games because he followed his ejection from Wednesday’s 18-6 loss to the Los Angeles Angels with an animated tirade near second base.
Cabrera was suspended for six games for intentionally throwing a pitch at the head of Boston’s Dustin Pedroia on Sept. 7 and his part in the bench-clearing incident that followed.
Trembley and Cabrera also were fined undisclosed amounts.
Devil Rays: Carl Crawford began serving a two-game suspension after his appeal was denied by the commissioner’s office. The outfielder’s penalty stemmed from a heated argument with first-base umpire Paul Nauert in a Sept. 3 game against Baltimore.
Rangers: Texas activated third baseman Travis Metcalf (hamstring) from the 15-day DL.
