April 6, 2023 – As Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona pursues his third World Series championship, MLB Network will debut a revealing and intimate documentary on the legendary skipper in Tito: The Terry Francona Story, premiering Sunday, April 23, at 8 p.m. ET. A clip from the new MLB Network Presents program can be viewed here.

On his managerial style that one day may lead to Cooperstown, Francona says on the program, “You got to be true to yourself. Like, I played for Dallas Green [and] and he would walk in and just his presence alone, I can’t do that. No, I do it with humor or however you do it, but you gotta be true to yourself because even though the players, they all didn’t go to Ivy League schools, they can see through BS, and they can see if you’re not being true to yourself, and you lose the club quick, and I don’t want to do that.”

Several MLB personalities, who have enjoyed first-hand experience with Francona, discuss his unifying presence, winning approach, resilient mentality, signature humor and strong personal connections with so many, including: former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, former Red Sox players Curt Schilling, Kevin Millar, Jon Lester and Dustin Pedroia, former Guardians player Jason Kipnis, Baseball Hall of Fame electee Scott Rolen, current Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan and pitcher Triston McKenzie, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff and bench coach DeMarlo Hale.

Having captured two World Series titles together during their eight-year run in Boston, Epstein says, “People love Tito. 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.”

Francona talks openly about managing NBA legend Michael Jordan in the Minor Leagues, being let go in Philadelphia, managing Boston to its first World Series title in 86 years and subsequent departure, and the jubilation and heartbreak of guiding Cleveland to the 2016 World Series. As a three-time Manager of the Year award winner, Francona is candid on his health struggles and how much longer he wants to manage.

MLB Network Presents is a series of documentaries and access-driven profiles. Launched in January of 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.