When I wrote last night of the futility of the Colorado Rockies this year , I mentioned in passing that the Rockies latest loss came against the Cincinnati Reds resulting in Terry Francona's 2,000th win as a big-league manager.
This achievement certainly warrants more discussion on my part. After all, I remember Tito when he had a full head of hair as a young outfielder with the Montreal Expos in the early 1980s. Of course, he was at the helm of the Boston Red Sox when they won their first World Series in 86 years back in 2004 and would earn a repeat triumph in 2007. He came within a heartbeat of ending the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) drought in 2016, but it was the Chicago Cubs' turn to end their drought first.
I am particularly pleased because Francona has had a myriad of health problems and eventually had to walk away from his job in Cleveland at the end of the 2023 season. Alas, Tito returned to managing this season and the Reds are treading water and maybe have a shot at the post-season.
Tito is currently 13th on the all-time MLB managerial wins list and needs only 9 more victories to surpass Leo Durocher. If the Reds manage to win 91 games this season, then Francona will pass Dodgers Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston. It isn't a question of if Terry Francona will go to Cooperstown, it's when. However, at the moment, Francona is focusing on getting the Reds their first World Series title in 35 years.
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