The Cincinnati Reds have named Terry Francona of Aberdeen, South Dakota as the new manager according to the Associated Press on Thursday. Francona had retired from the Cleveland Guardians at the end of last season, but has decided to return as a Major League Baseball manager at the age of 65. Francona’s contract is for three years.
Who is Francona replacing?
Francona is replacing David Bell of Cincinnati, Ohio, who was fired on September 22. Freddie Benavides of Laredo, Texas was brought on board as the Reds interim manager for the final five games of the season, and posted a record of one win and four losses.
Benavides’s lone win as the Reds’s interim bench boss came on September 29, in the Reds’s final game of the season, a 3-0 Cincinnati win over the Chicago Cubs. The game went into 10 innings with all runs scored in the top of the 10th inning. Shortstop Elly De LaCruz of Sabana Grande de Boya, Dominican Republic had the key hit as he had a two-run triple, and later scored on a Tyler Stephenson single.
Look back at Francona’s managerial career
Francona is 13th all-time in managerial wins at the Major League level. He has a record of 1950 wins and 1672 losses with a winning percentage of .538. The only active manager with more wins is current Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy of Landes de Boussac, France, who has 2171 career wins as a manager with the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Rangers.
Francona’s 1950 wins have been with Philadelphia Phillies (1997 to 2000), the Boston Red Sox (2004 to 2011), and Cleveland (2013 to 2013). Francona won a World Series managing the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007, and was the American League Manager of the Year with Cleveland in 2013, 2016, and 2022.
Francona’s playing career
Francona played a decade of Major League Baseball with the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Reds, Cleveland and Milwaukee Brewers from 1981 to 1990. In 707 games, primarily as a first baseman and outfielder, he batted .274 with 16 home runs and 143 runs batted in. During 1827 plate appearances and 1731 at bats, Francona scored 163 runs, and had 474 hits, 74 doubles, six triples, 12 stolen bases, 65 walks, 608 total bases, 15 sacrifice bunts, 10 sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .300 and a slugging percentage of .351.
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