The Francona 500: Five Memorable Moments of Terry Francona’s Time as Indians Manager

1. The Intro

After Manny Acta was fired with six games left in the 2012 season, and Sandy Alomar Jr. took over as interim manager, the search was on to see if there was a better option for the Tribe as the new voice of the team.

Enter Francona, who was sitting behind a desk at ESPN as an analyst after he was canned after the 2011 season by the Boston Red Sox in a shocking move.

Francona was rumored by some to be a candidate to take over in Detroit for Jim Leyland, but then the Indians got involved, and thanks to a long relationship with Mark Shaprio, Chris Antonetti, and history with the franchise, Francona quickly came into town and eventually accepted the position.

“Two main reasons I’m here today — Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti,” said Francona at his first presser as Tribe manager. “I value their guidance and leadership. I know we have challenges, but I looked forward to facing them united … as a we.”

Needless to say it’s been a great relationship to this day.

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