Terry Francona returns to MLB as Reds manager

Terry Francona was hired as manager of the Cincinnati Reds and returned to the major leagues a year after retiring from Cleveland for health reasons.

A person familiar with the situation confirmed the move on Thursday evening on condition of anonymity because the Reds had not announced the decision.

Francona replaces David Bell, who was fired by Cincinnati in the final days of his sixth season.

Bell had a 409-456 record with the Reds.

Francona, who turns 66 in April, played for Cincinnati in 1987. In 102 games, he posted a .227 batting average with three home runs and 12 RBIs.

He had kept a low profile since leaving the Guardians.

He briefly returned to Cleveland over the summer to help open a new restaurant in which he is involved.

Long one of the most popular figures in baseball, Francona has a 1,950-1,672 record in 23 years as a major league manager with Philadelphia (1997-2000), the Red Sox (2004-2011) and the Guardians (2013-2023). .

His final years in Cleveland were slowed by serious medical problems, but he was careful to call his departure a retirement.

“The word ‘retirement’ never really bothered me,” he said last year. “I guess saying you should retire is like going home and doing nothing. I don't feel that way either. We’ll find something that makes sense.”

He found it a little on the other side of Ohio.

With 1,950 wins, he ranks 13th on the career list, closely followed by Casey Stengel (1,905) and Leo Durocher (2,008), two other colorful managers who, like Francona, have endeared themselves to fans and players.

Francona's emergence as one of the sport's best managers was somewhat unexpected.

Things weren't going particularly well for him in Philadelphia, where he had four straight losing seasons, was constantly booed in a demanding, sports-loving city, and had his car's tires slashed on fan tribute day.

He was an unlikely choice for Boston's job, but achieved instant legend status by winning the World Series in his first season.

The Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit in the AL Championship Series to defeat St. Louis to end an 86-year championship drought and exorcise the “Curse of the Bambino,” a supposed curse on the team after Babe Ruth passed away Red Sox were sold to rival New York Yankees.

When his tenure in Boston ended in 2011 due to some controversy, Francona took a year off and worked in broadcasting before heading to Cleveland, where his father spent six seasons and where he himself played in 62 games in 1988.

Francona led Cleveland to the playoffs seven times in his 11 seasons. The Guardians, then known as the Indians, made it to the World Series in 2016 but lost to the Chicago Cubs in a seven-game series.

Francona, known as Tito, his late father's name, became a popular figure in Cleveland with his quick wit and big personality.

He could have worked elsewhere, but felt a deep connection to the organization after his father played with Cleveland in the late 1950s and early '60s.