CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Cleveland fans still have to wait for the official announcement of Terry Francona’s retirement.
Ahead of what would be his second to last home game as the Guardians manager, Francona spoke about what could be his final week with the organization.
“Part of the joy of this job is coming to the ballpark, seeing the same people every day, kind of doing the same thing, and I’ve enjoyed that,” Francona said. “And I’ll do it till the last game, and then that’ll be different. Then after that, I won’t pack up for next year. I’ll give it away or whatever and go home.”
Francona also held a quick pregame meeting with players on Tuesday where it sounds like he officially broke the news to them.
“I know they’re gonna do something tomorrow before the game,” Francona said. “And I thought out of respect for the players they needed to hear… I think it’s the worst-kept secret ever, but I think it’s respectful to them to tell them. And I wanted everyone in that room today to know that it was an honor of a lifetime to be here for 11 years.”
He’s led the Guardians to victory in 483 games at Progressive Field, and his 919 wins as a Cleveland manager are the most in club history.
When asked to give a message to the city of Cleveland, Francona said, “I hope that people know how much I respect and love this game. I hope that shines through.”
To honor his legacy, the Guardians will be giving away “Thank You, Tito” shirts to the first 20,000 fans in attendance at the final home game on Wednesday.
“Well I think it has to be,” Francona jokingly said when asked if Wednesday would be his last home game as manager. “I mean, once you give out t-shirts, man, you can’t come back.”
Tough shoes to fill – Francona was asked if he would make any recommendations for his replacement, to which he replied, “No.”
“I think they know how I feel about our coaches, but I don’t think that’s fair,” Francona continued. “For 11 years I’ve been doing this the way I think is right. I don’t think that’s fair to them or to the next person to try to put my stamp [on it].”
DeMarlo Hale, Chris Valaika, Carl Willis, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Mike Sarbaugh all hold prominent positions on the Guardians' staff. The team could of course hire a new manager from outside of the organization.
Back in the lineup – Tuesday’s game against the Reds will feature the return of both catcher Bo Naylor and shortstop Gabriel Arias to the Guardians lineup.
Bo Naylor left last Friday’s game against the Orioles with a right thumb contusion. He received good news after getting x-rays and will catch for Lucas Giolito on Tuesday.
Gabriel Arias had an injury scare of his own against Baltimore. He left Saturday’s game with a left wrist contusion. It turned out the injury was just a bruise and he’ll return to the lineup and play shortstop against the Reds.
Something to play for – The Guardians have been eliminated from postseason contention for four days, but the Reds still have something to play for.
“For us to beat them would be, we’d get some satisfaction,” Francona said. “But I guarantee you we’d trade places with them right now.”
Cincinnati’s in third place in the NL Central. The Brewers have clinched the division, and the Cubs are two and a half games ahead of the Reds.
listen to 92.3 the fan
“A lot of what they are doing this year kind of reminds me of us last year,” Francona said. “Young and the way they run the bases and the way they take advantage of mistakes and stuff. It’s been impressive.”
The NL Wild Card is where things get interesting for Cleveland’s in-state rival. The last two Wild Card slots are wide-open with less than a week of baseball left to play.
The Diamondbacks and Cubs are holding onto their positions in the Wild Card race. Behind them and fighting to get into the postseason are the Marlins who are one game back, and the Reds who are two and a half games back.