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Leading the Cleveland Indians to their first World Series title since 1948 would be personal for Terry Francona. Though he’s only been the manager in Cleveland for four seasons, his ties to the organization run deep. Francona played for the club back in 1988, and his father, Tito, spent six seasons*as an outfielder with the team in the ’60s.
Those ties were on display before*Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. Prior to the game, Tito Francona threw out the first pitch with his son Terry standing next to him.
It was an uplifting and emotional moment. Not just because it’s always great to see an 82-year-old uncork a first pitch, but because you could tell it meant a lot to Terry to be on the field supporting his dad.
Terry Francona’s father Tito threw out the first pitch prior to Thursday’s ALDS. (AP Images/Paul Sancya, Pool) It was a heck of an effort for the 82-year-old Tito, and you could tell he was pleased with himself after throwing out the pitch. After throwing the ball to the plate, Tito took off his cap and lifted his hands in the air, gesturing to the crowd.
It’s clear that baseball has played a huge role in the Francona family, and both men of excelled in the game. As an outfielder, Tito Francona hit .284/.353/.437 in his six seasons in Cleveland. Terry is considered one of the best managers in the game, and lived up to that reputation Thursday, winning Game 1 of the ALDS 5-4.
The biggest question is whether the two talked strategy prior to the start of the contest. We need to know if it was really Terry’s idea to use closer Andrew Miller in the fifth inning, or if Tito is more into sabermetrics than anyone realizes.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik