© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Guardians Have Only Done This Twice In Francona Era
A couple of things help an organization gain a reputation for being a solid franchise. World Series titles and deep playoff runs are a part of this, but having a quality record year after year is also important for league-wide respect.
The Cleveland Guardians organization has consistently been one of baseball's best teams since Terry Francona took over as skipper in 2013.
There's only been one year before this season in which the team finished with a record under .500. This was the 2021 Indians who finished 80-82 after suffering many injuries to the pitching staff which they could never overcome.
This current version of the Cleveland Baseball organization has dealt with a similar problem and will also finish the season with a losing record. The Guardians have five games left as of Monday and even if they win out they'll still end the year with a record of 79-82.
This will be just the second time a Cleveland team managed by Tito finished with a record below .500.
Francona hasn't made it official yet but he's certainly been talking over the last few weeks like he will be retiring once the season comes to an end. Finishing out his career with a losing record is a disappointing way for it to come to an end, but not many managers can say that they've managed for this long and be that successful.
Aug 12, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona (77) looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
© Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland bounced back after finishing the 2021 season with a losing record and made it all the way to the ALDS in 2022. Hopefully, fans will be saying the same thing about the 2024 Guardians this time next year no matter who the manager is.
