logo
Terry Francona returns to Cleveland as Reds manager, jokes about getting lost in renovated ballpark

Terry Francona returns to Cleveland as Reds manager, jokes about getting lost in renovated ballpark

Yahooa day ago

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona reacts in the dugout following the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Monday, June 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) watches from the dugout railing before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) watches from the dugout railing before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona reacts in the dugout following the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Monday, June 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) watches from the dugout railing before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
CLEVELAND (AP) — Terry Francona could have used his old scooter to get around the renovated service area beneath Progressive Field.
Instead, Francona made do with walking and joked about the changes that have occurred at the ballpark he called home for 11 seasons.
Advertisement
Francona returned to Cleveland for the first time since being named Cincinnati's manager as the Reds opened a three-game series against the Guardians on Monday.
'I got lost about three times. That's the longest (clubhouse) hallway I've ever seen,' Francona said. 'I don't think I've seen the whole thing yet just because I don't feel like icing down my knees. But from what I've seen in the ballpark, it looks good.'
Francona — who used to ride a scooter from his downtown apartment to the ballpark — isn't the only visitor who has joked about the long tunnel from the clubhouse to the dugout on the first-base side. Both clubhouses were renovated during the offseason, more than tripling their size.
The 66-year-old manager enters the series unbeaten against his former team: The Reds swept a three-game series at Cincinnati last month.
Advertisement
Francona was at the helm in Cleveland for 11 seasons and is the franchise's leader in wins (921) and games managed (1,678). Cleveland made the playoffs six times under Francona and lost the 2016 World Series to the Chicago Cubs in seven games, falling just short of the franchise's first title since 1948.
He was a senior advisor for the Guardians last year, but only made a couple of trips to Cleveland. He didn't want to get in the way of manager Stephen Vogt and his coaching staff.
'There were a couple times during spring, two hours away I wanted to come up, but I didn't think it was right,' Francona said. 'I just thought for the new staff here, they needed to be able to do things. They don't need me telling 'em how to do it or acting like I'm going to tell 'em how to do it.'
'During the season I watched a lot of baseball, probably more than I have in a long, long time. I'd turn on games that were in the eighth inning tied and I'd watch the end of it and flip to another game and really enjoyed it.'
Advertisement
While Francona was happy to be back in Cleveland, his focus was on trying to help the Reds extend their winning streak to four games after a weekend sweep of Arizona.
'I had 11 really fun years here and I had some great relationships. That never changes, but now we're trying to figure out a way to beat 'em tonight. That's why we're here. That'll never take away how I feel about people here,' he said.
Francona was among several Reds staffers making their return. Bench coach Brad Mills and hitting coach Chris Valaika were on Francona's Cleveland staff, while first-base coach Collin Cowgill and major league coach Mike Napoli played for the franchise.
Reds left fielder Will Benson, who hit four home runs during the sweep of the Guardians, was Cleveland's first-round pick in 2016.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kirk Cousins sounds resigned to his sad Falcons fate
Kirk Cousins sounds resigned to his sad Falcons fate

New York Post

time29 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Kirk Cousins sounds resigned to his sad Falcons fate

Kirk Cousins might have already accepted his football fate. Cousins was at the Falcons' mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and seemed to know that his days as a starting quarterback in the NFL might be over. 'Obviously, you'd love to play,' Cousins told reporters. 'But I'm not gonna dwell on things that aren't reality.' Advertisement Cousins, 36, is coming off one of his worst seasons in the league in his 13-year career. He started in 14 games for the Falcons, throwing 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions with a QBR of 50.4 Advertisement His season came to an end after being benched for rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in week 16, as the Falcons missed out on the playoffs. It's expected that Cousins will become Penix's backup this year, as Atlanta might be left with the 36-year-old quarterback at the start of the 2025 season. Many thought the Falcons would wait until the June 1 deadline to cut the $180 million quarterback, but that deadline has come and gone, and Cousins is still in Atlanta. 3 Kirk Cousins at Falcons minicamp. AP Advertisement That leaves the only option for both parties — a trade. Nevertheless, even that seems less likely with each passing day. 3 Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. together at Falcons minicamp. AP The Steelers were the last team that desperately needed a quarterback but now have their guy in Aaron Rodgers. Advertisement Cousins said he's not looking at the past and hopes the Falcons have success this year. 3 Kirk Cousins in action at Falcons minicamp. AP 'Certainly there were conversations in January, February, March, even April, but we're moving forward now,' Cousins added. 'Those are things we talked about months ago. Now we need to move forward. Right now, it's about the situation I'm in and being the best I can be and hopefully, in February, we as an organization are holding up the Lombardi Trophy.'

Cubs' Nico Hoerner Reveals 6-Word Message to Umpire After Ejection
Cubs' Nico Hoerner Reveals 6-Word Message to Umpire After Ejection

Yahoo

time30 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Cubs' Nico Hoerner Reveals 6-Word Message to Umpire After Ejection

Cubs' Nico Hoerner Reveals 6-Word Message to Umpire After Ejection originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Cubs (40-25) are in first place in the NL Central and are the NL's second seed, but their offense disappeared for part of their series vs. the Detroit Tigers (43-24). They lost 3-1 on Friday, won 6-1 on Saturday, and lost 4-0 on Sunday. Advertisement The squad totaled just four hits in the latter contest, and second baseman Nico Hoerner got ejected by home plate umpire Derek Thomas for arguing balls and strikes in the top of the fifth inning. Shortstop Dansby Swanson hit a leadoff double with the Cubs down 2-0 to start the frame before Hoerner came up. The 28-year-old worked a 2-2 count before taking a pitch low and inside, which Thomas incorrectly called a third strike. Hoerner revealed what he said to Thomas before getting tossed, via Marquee Sports Network. Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2).Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images "I said, 'You're having a really bad day,'" the 5-foot-11-inch, 200-pounder said. He finished the game 0-for-2 and was replaced by backup Vijal Brujan, who went 0-for-1. Advertisement Hoerner is now slashing .286/.331/.357 with 28 RBI over 61 games. Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty tossed a six-inning shutout with two hits and nine strikeouts against three walks in 94 pitches. The right-hander bested Cubs hurler Caleb Horton, who coughed up four runs on seven hits in five innings while adding six strikeouts and two walks. Chicago will continue its road trip against the Philadelphia Phillies (37-28) on Monday before hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates (26-40), Milwaukee Brewers (35-31), and the Seattle Mariners (32-31). Southpaw pitcher Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs on Monday. Advertisement Related: Cubs Receive Major Blow After Second Straight Win Related: Cubs React to MLB's Major Seiya Suzuki Announcement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.

Brendan Donovan leaves Cardinals' loss early with toe discomfort
Brendan Donovan leaves Cardinals' loss early with toe discomfort

Fox Sports

time34 minutes ago

  • Fox Sports

Brendan Donovan leaves Cardinals' loss early with toe discomfort

Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals utilityman Brendan Donovan left Tuesday night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays with left toe discomfort. Donovan, who has mainly played second base this season but was the leftfielder on Tuesday, left the game after striking out on a nine-pitch at-bat in the eighth inning in the Cardinals' 10-9 loss. 'It's kind of the joint in his big toe,' Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. 'You can see that last at-bat, he couldn't even get off his backside there. It was hurting him pretty bad so we took him out.' Donovan received treatment but did not have an x-ray after the game. He is considered day to day. 'I was running around in the outfield, and it just started bugging me, and then it kind of just got progressively worse, and then it just got real grumpy at me,' Donovan said. Donovan said that there wasn't one moment that he hurt it, that it was more of a repetitive use injury. 'It's on my left foot, so kind of that foot that I tend to rotate off of,' Donovan said. 'I think that's kind of what led to me coming out of the game. … Just kind of sleep on it, reevaluate it tomorrow, and then go from there.' It would be a blow to the Cardinals if Donovan misses any time. Donovan won a Gold Glove as a rookie in 2022 and is putting together his best season at the plate hitting .310 with four home runs and 26 RBIs as the No. 3 batter in the St. Louis order. 'Donny's a big part of what we're about here,' Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas said. 'You know, the way he can move around the diamond and obviously, you know, be a really consistent anchor in that lineup as far as driving the ball and getting on base and driving runs in. You know, that's a bridge we'd have to cross if that happens.' ___ AP MLB: recommended

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store