Who is Terry Francona? What to know about the new Reds manager

The Cincinnati Reds are hiring Terry Francona to be their next manager, multiple sources confirmed Thursday.

Francona, who retired as Cleveland Guardians manager a year ago, replaces David Bell, who had been with the Reds since 2019 before getting fired Sept. 22 .

So who is Francona? Here's what to know about the new Reds manager.

Terry Francona played for the Reds, other MLB teams

Francona, a former positional player, played 10 seasons in the MLB, suiting up for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Reds, Guardians and Milwaukee Brewers.

Francona is a three-time Manager of the Year

Francona started his managerial career with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997 to 2000. He managed the Red Sox from 2004 to 2011, and the Guardians from 2013 to 2023, winning three AL Manager of the Year awards in Cleveland.

Francona has won two World Series titles as manager

The Reds' new manager led the Red Sox to two World Series titles, winning the organization its first championship since 1918 in 2004, his first year in charge of the team. Boston and Francona won it again in 2007.

Francona led the Guardians to the AL Pennant in 2016, before losing to the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. His teams have made the postseason 11 times in 23 seasons.

Francona had health issues in Cleveland

Francona stepped down in Cleveland at the end of last season after battling health issues. He missed 46 of 60 games in 2020 because of stomach and blood clot troubles, and then 63 games in 2021 due to hip replacement surgery and another procedure on a staph-infected toe.

“It’s like every winter, I’m trying to get healthy for the season and then I get beat up,” Francona said last year, per MLB.com . “I need to go get healthy for life. This lifestyle is just too difficult.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is Terry Francona? What to know about the new Reds manager