Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona had his day cut extremely short on Saturday. After arguing with the umpiring crew, the longtime skipper was ejected in the first inning.
Francona was upset that Cleveland ran out of time to challenge a double play turned by the Chicago White Sox. Francona will now have to watch nearly a full game in the clubhouse in his first ejection of the year.
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The ejection happened between innings as the broadcast went to a commercial break. This is now Francona’s 48th time being ejected, putting him third among active managers. Only Bruce Bochy and Bob Melvin have more ejections to their name.
Francona is a great manager, but he will always press his luck with umpires. He is the type of manager that sticks up for his players whether he believes they are in the right or not.
Terry Francona embodies what an MLB manager should look like
Terry Francona is in the middle of his 11th season with the Cleveland Guardians. He has won over 1,9000 games as a manager, making him just one of 15 to win that many games. He is also one of 11 managers in MLB history to win at least 54% of games managed.
Not only does Francona have a track record of success, his players will back him up. He is a manager who builds a personal relationship with his players.
Cleveland will turn to Francona during the second half of this season. They are second in the American League Central with a record of 52-52. They are just 1.5 games out of first place in the division behind the Minnesota Twins.
Watch out for this team to make a move or two at the deadline to try and push them over the hump.