Fastball

Baseball World Sends Heartfelt Messages to Terry Francona After Historic Achievement

"Tito" recorded his 2,000th career win on Sunday afternoon and some of his former players, and baseball dignitaries, had messages of congratulations.
Brady Farkas|
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) walks off the field during a stop in play in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park on July 13.
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) walks off the field during a stop in play in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park on July 13. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

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Cincinnati RedsBoston Red SoxCleveland Guardians

The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-2 on Sunday afternoon, ending the first half of the season at 50-47 and 2.5 games back of a wild card spot in the National League.

The win was a historic one for manager Terry Francona, who recorded his 2,000th career win as a manager.

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today on social media:

Congrats to Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona, who becomes the 13th manager in MLB history to win 2,000 games. HOF awaits
Connie Mack
Tony La Russa
John McGraw
Bobby Cox
Joe Torre
Bruce Bochy
Sparky Anderson
Dusty Baker
Bucky Harris
Joe McCarthy
Walter Alston
Leo Durocher

After the milestone was achieved, the Reds posted a congratulatory video featuring messages from several of Francona's former players - and rivals, including Shane Bieber, Dustin Pedroia, Francisco Lindor, David Ortiz and Jason Varitek. Several current Reds players also recorded messages.

Francona has spent 24 years in the big leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians and Reds. His 2,000 wins go against 1,719 losses. Francona has won two World Series titles (2004, 2007 with Boston) and appeared in the 2016 World Series with Cleveland.

The Reds have the most difficult schedule remaining in the major leagues, but they're still going to try to make their first playoff appearance since the COVID 2020 season. With the looming return of ace Hunter Greene and the continued development of Elly De La Cruz, they should continue to be a threat.

The Reds, like the rest of baseball, will enjoy the All-Star break, which begins on Monday night.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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