Terry Francona

Terry Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959), nicknamed "Tito", is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously managed the Cleveland Indians/Guardians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. Francona played in MLB from 1981 to 1988 for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers.

After a four-year stint as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Francona was hired to manage the Red Sox in 2004 and led the team to their first championship since 1918. He won another World Series with Boston in 2007 and continued to manage the team until the end of the 2011 season. In 2013, Francona became the Cleveland Indians’ manager, leading them to an American League pennant in 2016, a 22-game win streak during the 2017 season (the longest in American League history and the second-longest in MLB history), and became the Indians/Guardians all-time leader in wins by a manager.

Francona was born on April 22, 1959, in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to Tito Francona (1933–2018), who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1956 to 1970, and Roberta Jackson (1932–1992). He is of Italian descent.

Francona grew up in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Pittsburgh. He attended New Brighton Area High School and played for the baseball team.

Francona attended the University of Arizona, where he played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team. Francona also represented the United States at the 1979 Pan American Games. The Arizona Wildcats won the 1980 College World Series and Francona was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Francona won the 1980 Golden Spikes Award.

The Montreal Expos selected Francona in the first round of the 1980 MLB draft with the 22nd overall selection. After briefly playing in the minor leagues, Francona made his major league debut with Montreal on August 19, 1981, a week after the end of that summer's player strike. He appeared mainly as an outfielder that first year, and he went 4-for-12 in the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, an extra playoff round used in that strike-divided season. The Expos won that series, three games to two.

Francona shifted to first base, where he ultimately played 100 games more than he had in the outfield. He also developed a reputation as a contact hitter, with few home runs, walks, or strikeouts. The Expos released Francona after the 1985 season, during which his batting average had slipped to .267 after posting a .346 average in limited action in 1984.

Baseball writer Bill James described him as a 'worthless player'.