6. Terry Francona's Curtain Call
There was only one way that Terry Francona deserved to go out in his final home game as the manager of the Cleveland Guardians. The stars aligned on an emotional Wednesday night on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario as the Guardians held on for a slim 4-3 win, allowing Tito to leave Progressive Field to a much-deserved standing ovation in his final home game.
While this outcome appeared destined to happen, it was not exactly a guarantee. Cleveland was just 10-14 during the month of September and entered the contest on a three-game losing streak. There was a very real possibility that the Guardians were not going to be able to come through on such a momentous occasion.
It was clear that the Guardians' players understood the gravity of the moment. Francona came to Cleveland at a time when they were attempting to reestablish themselves as a competitive organization. Being able to rally together and end their three-game losing streak in order to give the winningest manager in the history of Cleveland baseball the send-off he deserves. Francona exited Progressive Field with a win and this was truly the only way this game could have ended.