After eight successful seasons in which he led the Boston Red Sox to two World Championships and an 8-0 World Series record, manager Terry Francona appears to be on the way out in Boston.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, Francona will meet with Red Sox management on Friday morning to discuss his future with the organization. Per Rosenthal’s sources, it is expected that the two sides will decide to part ways at that time.
Francona’s departure from Boston would come on the heels of the Red Sox blowing the biggest September wild card lead in Major League Baseball history. Boston led the Tampa Bay Rays by 9.0 games on September 1 and finished the season with just seven wins in their last 27 games.
The Aberdeen, South Dakota native’s MLB managerial career began with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he accumulated a 285-363 record (.440 winning percentage) from 1997-2001. After being fired by the Phillies, Francona bounced around between the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, and Texas Rangers’ organizations as a special assistant or bench coach before being named the skipper of the Red Sox prior to the 2004 season.
Francona’s legacy will be leading the 2004 Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years. His 8-0 World Series record is the best among managers in the history of Major League Baseball.
If Francona and the Red Sox decide to depart ways the manager will be free to search for any vacancy around the league.
Francona has history with the Chicago White Sox organization. He was the manager of the AA Birmingham Braves from 1993-1995, while Michael Jordan played in the minor leagues.
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