When Terry Francona stepped down as the Cleveland Guardians’ manager in October 2023 after dealing with ongoing health issues, many believed his days managing in Major League Baseball were over. But just a year and a day later, Francona returned to the dugout — this time as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
Francona turns 66 today and, on paper, is set to lead the Reds for the next three seasons. If it were entirely his choice, though, he’d likely manage indefinitely, despite the toll it takes on his health.
“The 162-game season is baseball’s version of a marathon — both grueling and captivating,” wrote Zack Meisel and C. Trent Rosecrans for The Athletic. “It’s what drove Francona away and what brought him back. While those close to him didn’t expect the return, they also couldn’t picture him doing anything else.”
“Some of us, like me, probably love it too much,” Francona admitted. “I don’t really know how to turn it off. I just love the game.”
Due to health problems, Francona missed portions of both the 2020 and 2021 seasons before officially stepping away from Cleveland after 2023.
Throughout his career, Francona has managed four teams — the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians, and now the Reds — and has long been regarded as one of the game’s top managers. He’s won the American League Manager of the Year award three times and captured two World Series titles with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007.
Barring a major setback in his health or a disastrous Reds season, Francona is expected to become just the 13th manager in MLB history to reach 2,000 wins later this year. He needs only 39 more victories to hit that milestone, and 48 to surpass Leo Durocher for 12th on the all-time wins list.
Over his career, Francona has guided his teams to the playoffs 11 times — five appearances with Boston and six with Cleveland — and has reached the World Series three times. The Reds are hoping he can replicate that success in Cincinnati, a franchise that’s only made the playoffs once in the last 10 years and hasn’t been to the NLCS since 1995. It’s also been 35 years since their last World Series championship.
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