News Regarding Terry Francona
Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona missed the series finale Sunday in Minnesota. The reason was due to a gastrointestinal issue that the 61-year old skipper is dealing with. Mandy Bell of MLB.com had the news on Twitter prior to the start of the game.
Terry Francona will not manage the Indians today in Minnesota. He is dealing with a minor gastrointestinal issue (not COVID-related) and has returned to the team's hotel. Sandy Alomar will manage and Kyle Hudson will coach first base.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) August 2, 2020
As a result, Francona traveled back to Cleveland and was examined at the Cleveland Clinic Monday. Additionally, Sandy Alomar is filling in as the team’s skipper for the two-game series against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati.
Chris Antonetti, President of the Cleveland Indians, provided a brief update earlier Monday to reporters.
Terry Francona's appointments at the Clinic are now scheduled for the afternoon. Because of that, Tito will not join the team in Cincinnati today or tomorrow. Chris Antonetti said it's still too early to determine whether he'd be back to managing when the team comes home Wed. https://t.co/LbrTXWFmjB
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) August 3, 2020
This is not the first time Francona has had a health scare. He underwent cardiac ablation surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in 2017. It was an extensive procedure and caused him to miss five games. However, the good news is that Francona came out of the procedure healthy and was back to being himself in no time.
Additionally, last August the skipper also missed a game. This time around it was due to eye surgery. The surgery was unexpected, but it once again turned out successful.
Future Hall of Fame Manager
Terry Francona is on the path to the Hall of Fame. He began managing the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997. He spent four years in the City of Brotherly Love before taking a three-year hiatus from managing. Once 2004 rolled around, Francona was named manager of the Boston Red Sox where he stayed until 2011.
Following a year off in 2012, the Indians named him the 43rd manager in franchise history. During his nine-year tenure in Cleveland, Francona has posted a 643-500 record. That is good enough for a .562 winning percentage.
When you take his entire 20-year managerial career into account, the results help to support his case for the Hall of Fame even more. In that span, Francona has a cumulative record of 1672-1415. In that time, he has won three pennants along with two World Series Championships.
Among active MLB managers, only Dusty Baker of the Houston Astros has a better record (1868-1640). Bruce Bochy, former manager of the San Francisco Giants, was leading the charge with a 2003-2029 career record prior to retiring.
The Indians awarded Francona with a two-year extension in 2019. That ensures that he will be skipper of the Indians through at least 2022. However, it would not be a surprise to see another extension offered by the organization to Francona before that time, if he wants to continue managing.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
