CLEVELAND — Indians manager Terry Francona joked that his team clinched a wild-card berth because “we stayed away from chicken and beer.”
Francona was typically jovial on Monday, a day after Cleveland completed a 10-0 run to finish the regular season and earn its first playoff appearance since 2007. As the Indians await the Texas-Tampa Bay winner, Francona discussed his team’s chemistry, resiliency and depth.
He even poked some fun at himself, alluding to his final days in Boston. Francona led the Red Sox to two World Series titles, but left after a disappointing finish in 2011. The team’s clubhouse late in that last season was characterized as out of control with players — reportedly led by pitchers Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and John Lackey — drinking beer, eating chicken and playing video games during games.
Francona has savored every moment of his first season with the Indians, who finished 92-70 — a 24-game turnaround from 2012.
The manager known as “Tito” reserved special praise for Jason Giambi, the former bad-boy Yankees slugger who improbably has become Cleveland’s clubhouse sage at age 42.
“I think he’s made everybody he touches better,” Francona said. “That’s a very special person.”