Francona becomes 13th manager to join elite 2,000-win club

CINCINNATI -- Reds manager Terry Francona wasn't consumed by reaching a milestone heading into Sunday's first-half finale vs. the Rockies before going into the All-Star break. It hadn't crossed Francona's mind that the next win was No. 2,000 for his career as a manager.

“Not even a little bit," Francona said.

But when the Reds closed out a 4-2 victory at Great American Ball Park, the emotions came quickly as coaches and players hugged him in the dugout and a short clubhouse celebration began.

Francona was the 13th manager to reach 2,000 wins as a Major League manager. He and Bruce Bochy are the only active managers to have reached that plateau.

“I don’t know if you would really believe me, but I wanted to win today so bad to get us to three games over .500," Francona said. "And I was so nervous about that because we’ve got a break now and the guys could regroup.

"I don’t think I’ve ever tried to delude myself. Some of those names up there are kind of like baseball royalty. If there’s an adjective for baseball lifer, that’s me. I’m not overly smart. I’m a second-semester freshman at Arizona, still. I just love the game, probably too much. I hope I treat the players like I’m supposed to because that’s what I always try to do.”

Everybody ahead of Francona on the wins list is in the Hall of Fame with the exception of Bochy and former Reds manager Dusty Baker, who are both viewed as destined for Cooperstown. With Francona, Baker and Sparky Anderson, Cincinnati is one of just two franchises (along with the Cubs) to have had three managers in the 2,000-win club.

Only 50 of Francona's wins have come with the Reds in his first year with the club. But it meant a lot for his current players to mark the achievement.

“A little bit of a speech and then just kind of gave him the floor," closer Emilio Pagán said of the moments with Francona in the postgame clubhouse. "There’s some other things planned that obviously haven’t been done yet but I’m sure there’s some gifts coming his way. It was just cool to be able to celebrate with him.”

After pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 20th save, Pagán gave Francona the ball.

“It’s his to have. I wanted to give it to him as fast as I could," Pagán said. "Wade [Miley] was giving me a hard time. He’s like, ‘You know he’s probably going in the Hall of Fame and for every [time] they play his 2,000th victory, you’re going to be in that highlight.’ I didn’t think about it like that as I was running in. If I had, I might have been a little more nervous. It’s just super cool, man. It’s an honor to be able to play for him."

Reds players wore "Tito 2K" shirts after the game. Francona appreciated how much his players cared for him.

“I guarantee you it’s reciprocated," he said. "Because it’s not often I get a little bit choked up. That hit me pretty hard. It’s a good place. Actually, let me amend that. It’s a great place.”

With back-to-back wins over Colorado, it meant taking two of three in the series while completing a 4-3 homestand. Cincinnati is 50-47 and in fourth place in the National League Central, 7 1/2 games out of first place. The club is three games out for the last NL Wild Card berth.

"A good win. Obviously, a huge milestone for Tito. That was a good way to end the first half," said first baseman Spencer Steer, who hit an RBI single for an insurance run in the seventh inning.

It was a 2-2 game in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, when a routine grounder by Noelvi Marte wasn't handled by shortstop Ryan Ritter for an error that allowed TJ Friedl to score his third run of the day. It was the second day in a row that Marte reached on an error that plated the winning run.

Reds starter Nick Martinez gave up two runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings with one walk and three strikeouts for the win.

“Very special for me. I have a copy of the lineup card. It will be hung up at my house," Martinez said. “We wanted it real bad. We wanted this on the last road trip. It’s very special to all of us to be a part of that and play for him.”

Francona has spent 24 seasons managing with the Phillies, Red Sox, Guardians and Reds. He's won two World Series and three American League pennants. He's also a three-time AL Manager of the Year award winner. The Reds posted a social media video of Francona's current and former players and other managers congratulating him on 2,000 wins -- including Hall of Famers David Ortiz, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa.

After the 2023 season with Cleveland and battling health issues, Francona retired from baseball. It proved to be a short-lived break. In October, the Reds lured him back to the game and gave him a three-year contract.

“I know I love coming to the ballpark," Francona said. "It’s kind of well-documented that I needed to step away. Coming here with the people here has been a blessing for me, and I know that.”