Cleveland Indians: Father-son ties within Tribe’s roster

Tito Francona and Terry Francona

The current manager of the Cleveland Indians isn’t the first Francona to put on a Cleveland uniform. While Terry Francona is often called “Tito” the first Tito Francona played six seasons in Cleveland.

More from Away Back Gone

• Cleveland Guardians tantalizingly close to locking up AL Central tiebreakers
• Cleveland Guardians: Terry Francona becomes meme in profanity-laced ejection
• Say goodbye to defensive shifts and hello to bigger bases, pitch clock in 2023
• Cleveland Guardians: Shane Bieber second-fastest to 800 strikeouts in major-league history
• The next week will make or break the Cleveland Guardians’ season

Tito Francona debuted during the 1956 campaign and played until 1970, amassing 15 major league seasons. He first played for Baltimore before playing for the White Sox, Tigers, Cardinals, Phillies, Braves, A’s and Brewers. However, he played the most seasons for Cleveland. His lone All-Star season came in 1961 after leading the league in doubles during the 1960 campaign.

As for Terry Francona, he played 10 seasons before entering coaching. His playing career began in Montreal during the 1981 season and included stops with the Cubs, Reds, Tribe and Brewers.

He quickly became a manager at the age of 38, taking the helm of the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1997 season. Francona stayed in Philly for four seasons before being let go. He took the job with the Boston Red Sox in 2004, managing the team until 2011 and winning two World Series rings.

From there, Francona joined the Cleveland Indians in 2013 and has become one of the more successful managers in team history, including a trip to the World Series in 2016.