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Now with Reds, Terry Francona wants Guardians fans to know he didn't plan to manage again
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- Now with Reds, Terry Francona wants Guardians fans to know he didn't plan to manage again
CLEVELAND — Terry Francona joked about the red "Thank you Tito" T-shirts the Guardians distributed to fans on Sept. 27, 2023, before his final game at Progressive Field as the team's manager.
No, there are no refunds for free garb with Francona back in Cleveland for the first time as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds .
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Before the three-game Ohio Cup series began June 9, Francona explained he never intended to step down from the Guardians with health issues and return as the manager of another MLB franchise after spending just one season in retirement.
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Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona watches from the dugout before a game against the Kansas City Royals on May 27, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Francona, 66, underwent a shoulder replacement and double hernia surgery during his downtime. The Reds eventually lured him back to the game he loves.
"I know a lot of people don't believe me, but I was not planning on doing this again," Francona said. "I went home. I didn't think I was doing my job the way you're supposed to. I think a lot of that was health, but then when you start not feeling great physically, then all of a sudden, you start getting short on patience.
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"I wasn't able to have conversations with players that I thought were necessary all the time. It was just getting harder. I felt like I was letting people down. Like I said, I wasn't planning on coming back. It was a really good year. I did stuff I've never done before, and I really was starting to think maybe around August, 'How busy do I want to be next year? Do I want to go visit the minor leagues?' Because I enjoy that stuff.
"Then this kind of came out of nowhere. Believe me, I wasn't looking around at teams that maybe were going to make changes. I wasn't thinking about it, but when [Reds president of baseball operations] Nick [Krall] and [general manager] Brad [Meador] came out, and I literally talked to them in my rocking chair, it felt a lot like the Cleveland guys. And at this point in my life and my career, going through stuff with people that I really respect and care about is probably more important than what our payroll is."
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In May, the Guardians visited the Reds, and Francona's new team swept his old one in three games.
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"I had 11 really fun years here, and I had some great relationships," Francona said. "That never changes, but now we're trying to figure out a way to beat them."
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com . On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians vs Reds: Terry Francona didn't plan to return to managing
