Terry Francona’s return to Major League Baseball was unexpected after he retired last season. But the 65-year-old was ready to return to managing, and will do so with the Cincinnati Reds.
“When the Reds reached out, I started looking at the team a little more closely, and they came out to visit and it just felt right,” Francona told reporters Monday. “And it felt right from pretty close to the beginning of the meeting.”
Francona admitted he didn’t see himself managing again and his year away from baseball was needed.
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“I stepped away because I didn’t think I was doing the job up to the caliber I thought was necessary,” he said. “A lot of it was health, and it was getting in the way.”
Francona has dealt with a slew of health issues over the years. He had a hip replaced in 2021 that forced him to miss the second half of that season, and also underwent surgery on his toe. In 2020, he found himself in the ICU with a blood-clotting situation as well as gastrointestinal issues. Francona also was rushed to the hospital after falling ill minutes before a game in June 2023.
In 23 years as a manager, Francona has a 1,950-1,672 record with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Guardians He took Cleveland to the playoffs seven times in his 11 seasons and won 921 games.
Francona also helped lead the Red Sox to two World Series championships in 2004 and 2007 — the former of which helped break an 86-year curse.
Now Francona takes over a Reds team that went 77-85 in 2024 and missed the postseason. But he’s ready for what lies ahead.
“My promise to the organization and to the fans is that I’ll spend all my energy ensuring that (players) spend all their energy trying to play the game right and with respect,” Francona said. “One of my biggest goals is that our players feel like they’re cared for more than ever before but at the same time asking more of them on the field than has ever been done before.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article
