'He is baseball': Tito documentary premieres on MLBN (Tonight, 8 ET)

April 23rd, 2023

Besides being a two-time World Series-winning manager, Guardians skipper Terry Francona is one of the most entertaining figures in the sport. MLB Network will debut a revealing and intimate documentary on the legendary manager titled “Tito: The Terry Francona Story,” premiering tonight at 8 ET.

Francona talks openly about managing the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years, the jubilation and heartbreak of guiding Cleveland to the 2016 World Series and managing NBA legend Michael Jordan in the Minor Leagues. As he approaches 1,900 career wins, Francona is also candid about how much longer he wants to manage.

The documentary features several MLB personalities who have had first-hand experience with Francona discussing his unifying presence, winning approach and signature sense of humor. Whether it’s cracking a joke at his own expense or continuing his friendly rivalry with Rays manager Kevin Cash, Francona is beloved for his affable personality.

Cash, former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and a handful of Francona’s former and current players -- including Kevin Millar, Jon Lester, Curt Schilling, Dustin Pedroia, Scott Rolen, Jason Kipnis, Steven Kwan and Triston McKenzie -- are among those featured in the program.

“People love Tito,” Epstein says in the documentary. “I’m not surprised everyone wanted to show up for this documentary for the way that they’d show up for him, anywhere, anytime. He is baseball. When you think about Tito, you think about just being in a clubhouse, the bonds that are created, the brotherhood, the friendships and the beauty of it for him is the way he’s developed countless unbelievable connections and friendships with people in the game.”

“MLB Network Presents” is a series of documentaries and access-driven profiles. Launched in January 2015, the series has produced programs covering many different storylines, including six other MLB manager documentaries on Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Terry Collins, Jim Leyland, Billy Martin and Buck Showalter.