Major leagues įrancona became third-base coach for the Detroit Tigers in 1996, working under their new skipper, Buddy Bell, a former teammate of Francona on the Reds.Īs a Manager Philadelphia Phillies Īfter the 1996 season ended, he was hired as manager of the Phillies, who had won the NL pennant in 1993 but then had three consecutive losing seasons. That team included Miguel Tejada, Manny Ramirez, and Tony Batista. He managed in the Dominican Winter League with the Águilas Cibaeñas, and he also won the championship and the Serie del Caribe in 1995–96. Birmingham won the Southern League championship in 1993. As manager of the AA franchise Birmingham Barons in 1993–95, he posted a 223–203 record and won two distinctions: Southern League Manager of the Year in 1993, Baseball America's Minor League Manager of the Year in 1993, and top managerial candidate by Baseball America in 1994, the same year Michael Jordan played for Birmingham. In 1992, he ran the South Bend White Sox of the mid-level Class A Midwest League. In 1991, he managed the rookie league Sarasota White Sox of the Gulf Coast League. As a coach Minor leagues Īfter retiring as a player, Francona began coaching, spending several years in the Chicago White Sox organization. He also made an appearance as a pitcher with Milwaukee on May 15, 1989, late in a game that the Brewers lost 12–2 he threw 12 pitches and struck out one batter ( Stan Javier) on three pitches. 274 career average, with 16 home runs and 143 RBI. In 10 seasons and 708 games, he posted a. The Brewers re-signed Francona for 1990, but he only played in three games for the Brewers that year, the last on April 19. He went on to sign one-year contracts with the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers. The Expos released Francona after the 1985 season, during which his batting average had slipped to. He also developed a reputation as a contact hitter, with very few home runs, walks, or strikeouts. The Expos won that series, three games to two.Īs the seasons went on, Francona shifted to first base, where he ultimately played one hundred games more than he had in the outfield. #INDIANS WHITE SOX PLAY BY PLAY SERIES#He appeared mainly as an outfielder that first year, and he went 4-for-12 in the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, an extra playoff round utilized that year because the season was conducted in two halves as the result of the strike. After briefly playing in the minor leagues, Francona made his major league debut with Montreal on August 19, 1981, a week after the end of that summer's player strike. įrancona was drafted in the first round of the 1980 amateur draft by the Montreal Expos, using the 22nd overall selection. Francona won the 1980 Golden Spikes Award. Francona and the Arizona Wildcats won the 1980 College World Series and Francona was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Career As a player įrancona represented the United States at the 1979 Pan American Games and attended the University of Arizona, where he played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team. Francona was born on April 22, 1959, in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to Tito Francona (1933–2018), who played outfield for several Major League clubs from 1956 to 1970, and Roberta Jackson (1932–1992).įrancona grew up in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, where he got his start in baseball at New Brighton Area High School.
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