Terry Francona reflects on his time with the Red Sox: ‘Way easier to remember all the good’
"We had some really good players, some really good teams, and I know I was fortunate."
It’s been 14 years since the Red Sox parted ways with Terry Francona.
In the years following, he spent a decade managing another American League club in Cleveland and has since made another stop in Cincinnati where he is currently the Reds manager.
Monday night’s contest against Cleveland, which the Red Sox won 13-6, was one of many times that Francona has returned to Fenway Park as an opposing manager.
He told reporters after the game that time has helped change his perspective on his time with the Red Sox. Francona won both of his World Series titles with the Red Sox.
“As time passes and now [returning] here with multiple teams, it’s way easier to remember all the good and maybe kind of [brush aside] the stuff that wasn’t so good, or forget about it,” Francona said, per The Boston Globe. “I had eight really, really good years here. Doesn’t mean they were easy, but I mean, we had some really good players, some really good teams, and I know I was fortunate.”
Health issues have been a part of Francona’s new journey. He retired from his position with the Guardians after the 2023 season when he had shoulder replacement surgery, along with work to fix a double hernia. According to the Globe, Francona has undergone more than 40 surgeries.
Last December, Francona said his health issues made him feel like he was “starting to shortchange people” and that he was having less fun. He took a year off, and it helped him regain his enthusiasm for the game.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he was “very” surprised to see Francona back in an opposing dugout. Francona is in his first season with the Reds after signing during the offseason.
“Talking to a few people, the health part of it was the main thing for me,” Cora said. “‘Is he going to be able to grind through a season?’ And everybody was like, ‘Yes, he’s good. He’s healthy. He wants to give it a shot again.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, that’s cool.’”
Francona said his relationships with a pair of Reds front office members helped persuade him to come back. So far, he is enjoying his return, he said.
“I talked to [Reds president of baseball opperations] Nick [Krall] and Brad [Meador, the Reds GM] the first day, and I caught myself saying, ‘we’ way too fast,” Francona said. “You get to be an age where there’s different things that are more important to you, and being in a place where — not that we’re not going to get challenged, because we are a lot — but I like going through it with people that I respect and care about, and I know they got my back. I’ve been enjoying that.”
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