KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona was taken to a hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, for tests after he said he felt poorly before Tuesday’s game against the Royals.
Francona, 64, last year’s American League Manager of the year, underwent precautionary tests, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. Bench coach DeMarlo Hale managed the team in Francona’s absence, according to the newspaper.
The manager was examined by medical personnel from the Royals and Kauffman Stadium and “out of an abundance of caution” was taken to Kansas State University Health Services by an ambulance, the Plain Dealer reported.
Guardians manager Terry Francona was not feeling well before Tuesday night's game against the Royals and is not with the team as he undergoes precautionary testing at a hospital in Kansas City. https://t.co/DjGuoAWWkw
— CantonRep.com (@CantonRepdotcom) June 28, 2023
Francona won a pennant in Cleveland in 2016 and led the Boston Red Sox to World Series victories in 2004 and 2007, the first title snapping an 86-year Fall Classic drought.
In 2017, Francona underwent a cardiac ablation, used to correct an irregular heartbeat, ESPN reported. He missed 20 days, according to the sports news website. Francona was unable to manage the A.L. All-Star team that year because of the surgery, the Plain Dealer reported.
In 2020 he missed half of the COVID-19-shortened season with blood clotting and gastrointestinal issues, ESPN reported. In 2021 he left the team late in the season because of hip pain and had surgery for a staph infection in his toe, according to the website.
After the Guardians were eliminated from the 2022 playoffs, Francona said that he planned to return for the 2023 season, The Repository of Canton reported.
Francona is in his 11th season in Cleveland, according to Baseball-Reference.com. He began is managerial career in 1997 in Philadelphia and managed the Phillies for four seasons. He managed eight seasons in Boston.
Overall, Francona has a 1,911-1,626 record as a manager, according to Baseball-Reference.com. According to ESPN, Francona is the 13th-winningest manager in MLB history, trailing 10 Hall of Fame skippers and two active ones, Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy.
