Tito Francona obit

Tito Francona, former Indians outfielder and father of Terry Francona, dies at 84

 

He was not on the list.

John “Tito” Francona passed away Tuesday night at his home in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, the Cleveland Indians said on Wednesday. He was 84 years old.

Francona, who spent 15 years in the MLB, played with the Indians for six years. He’s the father of Terry Francona, the Tribe manager since 2013 who occasionally goes by “Tito” too.

“Our hearts ache as truly one of the special men in Cleveland Indians history passed away last night,” said Bob DiBiasio Indians Senior VP of Public Affairs, in a news release.

“On behalf of the entire Indians organization, our thoughts and prayers are with Terry and the entire Francona family. For a generation of Cleveland fans, Tito was one of the all-time favorites to wear an Indians uniform. It was certainly a joy the past five years watching Tito and Terry be together around the ballpark. He will be missed.”

The elder Francona made his big-league debut in 1956 with the Baltimore Orioles, finishing tied for second with Indians Hall of Famer Rocky Colavito for AL Rookie of the Year.  He was an All-Star in 1961 and retired in 1970.

Tito was named to the list of top 100 greatest Indians in 2001.

In August, Tito and Terry Francona, launched Tito Francona and Son Pasta Sauce. A part of the proceeds from each sale go to Cleveland Indians Charities.

In lieu of flowers, the Francona family and the Indians are asking for donations in Tito’s memory to  Cleveland Indians Charities. That money will go specifically to yourth baseball-oriented programs in Cleveland and in Tito’s hometown, New Brighton, Pennsylvania.

Francona originally signed with the St. Louis Browns in 1952. He spent two seasons in the Browns/Baltimore Orioles' farm system (the franchise was relocated to Baltimore and renamed on September 29, 1953) before departing to serve in the U.S. Army for two years. Upon his return, he was invited to Spring training 1956 as a non-roster invitee, and made the club. He batted .258 with nine home runs and 57 runs batted in to finish tied with the Cleveland Indians' Rocky Colavito for second place in American League Rookie of the Year balloting behind Chicago White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio.

With Al Pilarcik's acquisition during the off season, Francona lost his starting job in right field, and was demoted to the Pacific Coast League's Vancouver Mounties early in the 1957 season. He returned with a vengeance, hitting two home runs in a game for the first time in his career on May 19 against the Kansas City Athletics,[4] raising his season average to an even .300 in the process. He slipped into more of a reserve role from there. Used as a fourth outfielder and left-handed bat off the bench, Francona batted just .185 as a pinch hitter for the season. After which, he, Ray Moore and Billy Goodman were dealt to the Chicago White Sox for Larry Doby, Jack Harshman and Jim Marshall (Chicago later sent pitcher Russ Heman to Baltimore as part of this deal when it was discovered by the Orioles that Harshman was suffering from a slipped disc).

Regardless of his desire for more playing time, Francona began the 1959 season as a pinch hitter and utility man with his new franchise. After going five-for-nine with a home run in a June 7 doubleheader with the New York Yankees, Francona replaced Jim Piersall as Cleveland's starting center fielder. Toward the end of the season, he was shifted to first base, with Indians regular first baseman Vic Power being shifted to second base. For the season, he batted .363 with a career high 20 home runs and 79 RBIs to help the Indians to an 89–65 record and second place in the American League. His .363 average would have led the league, however, he fell 34 at-bats short of the 3.1 per game necessary to qualify. The batting championship was awarded to the Detroit Tigers' Harvey Kuenn, with a .353 batting average.

Francona was shifted to left field when the Indians acquired Kuenn for home run leader Rocky Colavito just prior to the start of the 1960 season. With Colavito gone, Francona was inserted in the clean-up spot in manager Joe Gordon's batting order. After hitting only six home runs through the month of July, Francona was dropped to the number six spot in the batting order for August, and up to the number two spot in September. The moves helped, as he hit eleven home runs over the rest of the season to finish with seventeen. His 36 doubles led the American League.

On March 26, 1961, Francona hit a home run during a spring training exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox at Hi Corbett Field. When John C. Cota, a city parks employee, went to retrieve the ball, he discovered the body of Fred Victor Burden, who was wanted by Tucson, Arizona police in connection with the shooting death of former prize fighter James Cocio.

Francona was batting .293 with eleven home runs and 53 RBIs at the second All-Star break of the 1961 season to be named to the American League All-Star squad for the only time in his career. He did not, however, appear in the game. For the season, he batted .301 with sixteen home runs, 85 RBIs and led American League Left Fielders in Fielding Percentage.

Despite having emerged as one of the better fielding left fielders in the league, Francona was shifted to first base during Spring training in 1962 and finished the season leading the American League in Double Plays turned as a first baseman. He drew the ire of Boston sports fans at Fenway Park on June 11. With the game still scoreless, the Indians loaded the bases with two outs in the third inning. From first base, Francona yelled, "Hold it, Earl!" to Red Sox pitcher Earl Wilson. Francona's distraction caused Wilson to half stumble off the mound and balk. Despite this being against baseball rules, Francona admitted after the game that he had indeed yelled to Wilson.

Francona slumped a little under new manager Mel McGaha in 1962. When Birdie Tebbetts grabbed the reins in 1963, Francona was moved back into left, but his numbers dipped even further. His .228 batting average was a career low, and his ten home runs and 41 RBIs were his fewest over a full season. He was, however, part of baseball history on July 31, when he hit the third in a series of four consecutive home runs in a single inning against pitcher Paul Foytack of the Los Angeles Angels. This was the second time in baseball history that a team hit four consecutive home runs in a single inning. It has happened three times since, including once by the Red Sox while his son, Terry Francona, was managing.

The Indians acquired All-Star Leon Wagner to play left field prior to the 1964 season, so Francona split time between right and first base. After the season, he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later and cash.

 

Teams

Baltimore Orioles (1956–1957)

Chicago White Sox (1958)

Detroit Tigers (1958)

Cleveland Indians (1959–1964)

St. Louis Cardinals (1965–1966)

Philadelphia Phillies (1967)

Atlanta Braves (1967–1969)

Oakland Athletics (1969–1970)

Milwaukee Brewers (1970)