Alex Cora Backs Hall Of Fame Bid Of Ex-Red Sox Skipper Terry Francona

After over two decades as a manager in Major League Baseball, Terry Francona is mulling retirement.

The 64-year-old spent seven seasons at the helm of the Red Sox, helping Boston capture two World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 before being the skipper of the Cleveland Guardians for the last 11 seasons.

A myriad of health issues, including being rushed to the hospital prior to a game in July, have taken their toll on Francona and have him contemplating about calling it an end to his managerial career at the conclusion of this season.

If Francona does walk away, he will have put together quite the résumé. Not only did he win those two World Series with the Red Sox — the first of which ended an 86-year drought — but he also is Cleveland’s winningest manager in franchise history with 905 victories. Throw in 744 wins during his time with the Red Sox and 285 from his four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and he has a total of 1,934 in his career, good for 13th all-time in Major League Baseball history.

A path to Cooperstown already seems paved for Francona, which is something Red Sox manager Alex Cora certainly can get behind.

“I think the whole balance of health and everything you have to do as a manager comes into play,” Cora told reporters prior to Boston’s beatdown of the Houston Astros on Thursday, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “If this is it, shoot, sign me up to the Hall of Fame induction because he’s a Hall of Famer not only as a manager but as a person.”

Francona isn’t just a managerial counterpart for Cora. Cora played for Francona with the Red Sox from 2005-07.

It helped build the foundation of a special relationship and Cora credited Francona for some of his own managing style.

“He always says he was tough on me as a player,” Cora said. “I don’t believe so. I think he made me better. He made me realize a lot of things. A lot of guys have influenced me to be the manager I am and Tito is one of them. So we’ll see what happens but if this is it, amazing. He’s been amazing.”