Newsflash: Terry Francona has a sense of humor, and he doesn’t put it away during the postseason.
The Cleveland Indians manager was in one of the most difficult spots you can be in Monday night during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. His starting pitcher, Trevor Bauer, was forced to leave the game after just 2/3 of an inning thanks to a bloody finger, meaning Francona had to figure out how to get the final 25 outs with his bullpen.
But “Tito” handled the moment as only he can. When TBS’ camera panned to Francona in the dugout shortly after Bauer exited, the veteran manager looked back at the camera and “scratched an itch” using a certain finger.
Warning: This video obviously contains an obscene gesture.
The camera quickly cut away from Francona, but not before he got his message across.
If you’re thinking this could just be a coincidence, it’s not: The former Boston Red Sox manager seemingly has made a habit of flipping off probing TV cameras.
Francona backed up his obscene gesture with some excellent managing, though. He expertly used a combination of six relievers over the next 8 1/3 innings, and that cohort combined to allow just two runs on seven hits to earn the Indians a 4-2 win and a 3-0 series lead.
There’s nothing offensive about that — especially for the Blue Jays, who have scored just three runs all series.
Thumbnail photo via Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports Images
