Terry Francona Faces Off Against Guardians in Exciting Rivalry Game

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Terry Francona managed his first game against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-4 victory at Great American Ball Park. Francona, who spent over a decade with the Guardians and is the franchise’s winningest manager, returned to MLB after a brief retirement.

The Reds entered the game needing a win after losing nine of their last 11 games. They responded by scoring five runs in the first three innings, putting them ahead early.

Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee struggled, allowing five runs in the second and third innings. Despite his challenges, he pitched six innings, striking out four while giving up ten hits and four earned runs.

“I thought the first couple innings, Tanner didn’t really have his good stuff,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “But he locked it in after that.”

Will Benson and Austin Hays each hit home runs for the Reds, while the Guardians’ Bo Naylor and José Ramírez contributed with homers of their own. Ramírez, in particular, is on a hot streak, having homered in three consecutive games and is hitting .417 over his last seven games.

“I never worry about Hosey. He’s always gonna get it going,” Vogt commented on Ramírez’s performance.

Carlos Santana helped the Guardians break onto the scoreboard with a two-run single in the fourth inning. The score was initially 5-0 before Cleveland mounted a comeback attempt, cutting the lead to 5-4 by the eighth inning.

The Reds, now at 22-24, are showing improvement under Francona, who won two World Series in previous managerial stints. The next game in this interleague rivalry is set for Saturday at 6:40 p.m. ET.