Terry Francona took some time away from baseball, and a year was enough.
One of baseball’s most loved managers, Francona has been hired by the Cincinnati Reds, marking his return to a team he once played for. He stepped down from his position in Cleveland last season due to health issues.
A source close to the situation confirmed the news to The Associated Press on Thursday night but requested to remain anonymous since the Reds had not yet made an official announcement. This announcement may come later this week.
Francona, who led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles, is taking over for David Bell, who was fired by the Reds last month during his sixth season. Bell’s record was 409-456 during his time with the team.
Francona, who will turn 66 in April, played as an outfielder for Cincinnati in 1987. He had a .227 batting average, hitting three home runs and driving in 12 runs in 102 games.
It’s clear why this situation appeals to both Francona and the Reds. The team finished the year with a 77-85 record but has one of baseball’s most exciting players in Elly De La Cruz and a potentially strong pitching rotation led by Hunter Greene.
In Cleveland, Francona helped All-Star third baseman José Ramírez become one of the best all-around players in the game, and he should easily gain the respect of Cincinnati’s young team.
After leaving the Guardians, Francona, a three-time AL Manager of the Year, spent time at his home in Arizona and mostly kept a low profile, aside from attending basketball games at his old school in Tucson.
He went back to Cleveland briefly during the summer to help open a new restaurant in which he is a part-owner.
Francona has a career record of 1,950 wins and 1,672 losses in 23 years as a big-league manager with the Philadelphia Phillies (1997-2000), the Red Sox (2004-2011), and the Guardians (2013-2023).
He faced serious health challenges during his last years in Cleveland but did not refer to his departure as retirement.
“I never was real concerned about the word retire,” he said last year. “I guess when you say retire, it’s like, well, you’re going home and not doing anything. Don’t feel that way either. We’ll figure something out that makes sense.”
He found that something on the other side of Ohio.
With 1,950 wins, he’s 13th on the career list, positioned between Casey Stengel (1,905) and Leo Durocher (2,008), both of whom, like Francona, became favorites among fans and players.
Francona’s rise to become one of the best managers in baseball was somewhat surprising.
Things did not go well for him in Philadelphia, where he had four straight losing seasons. He faced constant booing in a demanding sports city, and even had the tires on his car slashed on fan appreciation day.
He was an unexpected choice for the job in Boston, but he quickly became a legend by winning the World Series in his first season.
The Red Sox came back from a 3-0 deficit in the AL Championship Series and swept St. Louis to end an 86-year championship drought and lift the “Curse of the Bambino,” a belief that the team was cursed after Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees.
When his time in Boston ended in 2011 amid some controversy, Francona took a year off and worked in broadcasting before heading to Cleveland, where his dad, Tito, had spent six seasons and where he himself played 62 games in 1988.
Francona took Cleveland to the playoffs seven times in his 11 seasons and won 921 games. The Guardians, known as the Indians at the time, reached the World Series in 2016 but lost to the Chicago Cubs in a seven-game series.
Known as Tito, Francona became a favorite in Cleveland because of his quick wit and friendly nature. He rode a scooter from his downtown apartment to the ballpark every day, often waving to fans along the way.
Francona could have taken jobs with other teams but felt a strong connection to Cleveland’s organization because his dad played for the Indians in the late 1950s and early 60s.
He had to take two long leaves of absence in 2020 while dealing with heart and stomach issues.
For his last game with the Guardians on Sept. 27 last season, the team gave out “Thank you Tito” T-shirts to fans at Progressive Field, and they sent him off with a 4-3 win against the Reds.
After the game, Francona said he needed a break.
“I just think the timing is good,” he said. “I’m just kind of beat up physically, and it’s hard to do this job right or the way I want to do it. I don’t want to shortchange anybody. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
His hiring by the Reds comes at the same time the Guardians finished with the AL’s second-best record under first-year manager Stephen Vogt, who had the tough job of trying to replace a Cleveland legend.
The Guardians will start the AL Division Series against Detroit on Saturday.
