Terry Francona celebrates Cleveland’s victory over the Boston Red Sox in the 2016 American League…(+) Series. (Photo courtesy of Elsa/Getty Images)
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Terry Francona, whose team won two World Series titles but missed out on three more, returned to the stressful world of coaching after taking a year off for health reasons.
Francona, 65, will reportedly return to the National League with the struggling Cincinnati Reds, having previously managed the Phillies, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the team has not yet officially announced his hiring, but he is on a three-year contract.
Cincinnati finished the season in fourth place with a record of 77 wins and 85 losses, 16 games behind first-place Milwaukee and just one game behind last-place Pittsburgh.
The Reds are accepting the loss of one of their better pitchers, Nick Martinez, to free agency, and have lost a source of broadcast revenue from Diamond Sports, which ended its partnership with 11 clubs earlier this week. , could have to cut his already low $100 million annual salary. .
Francona, a former outfielder whose father also played in the major leagues, played for the Reds in 1987. He also wore the uniform of the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers, hitting .274 with 16 home runs. Part time player.
More successful as a manager, he played for the Phillies from 1997 to 2000, the Red Sox from 2004 to 2011, and Cleveland from 2013 to 2023, winning more games than any manager in Cleveland history. did.
Francona was named American League Manager of the Year in 2013, 2016 and 2022, but oddly enough, the Red Sox were the only team to bounce back from a 3-0 deficit to win a postseason series. In 2004, he was not selected.
The Sox then won their first World Series since 1918, effectively ending the “Curse of the Bambino” that began with the team’s sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees on January 3, 1920.
He made the playoffs in five of his eight years in Boston, won his second World Series ring in 2007, and never had a losing season there.
Terry Francona narrowly missed out on Cleveland’s first World Series win since 1948 when the Cubs won…(+) Game 7, 2016, 8-7 in the 10th inning. (Photo courtesy of Elsa/Getty Images)
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During Francona’s 11-year tenure in Cleveland, the club won one pennant, reached the postseason six times and achieved an American League record 22-game winning streak in 2017.
When the Chicago Cubs won Game 7 of the 2016 Fall Classic, postponed due to rain, 8-7 in the 10th inning, a world championship was within reach.
Francona, a South Dakota native who grew up in rural Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, boasts a career winning percentage of .538 and 1,950 wins as a manager. He also has a postseason record of 44 wins and 34 losses, including 28 wins and 17 losses with the Red Sox (16 wins and 17 losses with Cleveland).
Francona will replace David Bell in Cincinnati, but he also inherits many of the promising young players that excited fans in the Queen City.
Pitcher Hunter Green and shortstop Ellie Delacruz were named All-Stars in 2024, with the latter finishing the season with a National League-leading 67 stolen bases and 25 home runs.
Fellow infielder Jeimer Candelario will be the highest-paid player on the 2025 roster, unless a new player is added via trade or free agent signing. Under the terms of a three-year, $45 million contract, he will earn $16 million.
The Reds hope to emulate the success of the Texas Rangers, who coaxed 68-year-old Bruce Bochy out of retirement last year and immediately reaped the benefits by winning the World Series.
Like Cleveland, Cincinnati needs to get the most out of limited resources, and hopes Francona’s experience will be a deciding factor.
The veteran pilot was chosen from among several young candidates.
