page_title: Tito Francona
section_title: Cleveland Indians
hierarchical_section_title: Tito Francona / Cleveland Indians
caption_attribution_description: English: Cleveland Indians player Tito Francona in a 1960 issue of Baseball Digest.
context_page_description: John Patsy Francona was a Major League Baseball player. As a child, he was nicknamed "Tito" by his father. His son, Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona, is also sometimes referred to as "Tito."
context_section_description: 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 lead 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.
caption: Francona with the Cleveland Indians in 1960
exif: {}