CINCINNATI — Terry Francona’s first opening day as manager of the Cincinnati Reds started in a dentist’s chair.
About 12 hours later, the veteran MLB skipper nicknamed “Tito” was experiencing baseball’s equivalent of a root canal.
The Reds were one out away from a successful debut for Francona until the San Francisco Giants rallied for four runs in the top of the ninth inning Thursday at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati got a run in the home half but ended up falling short 6-4.
The 65-year-old Francona began the day with an emergency trip to the dentist for treatment of a broken veneer on a bottom tooth. As is his usual style, Francona tried to make light of the situation.
“Got it fixed, and now I’m ready to go. I didn’t want to go through opening day looking like Jethro Bodine,” he said before the game, referencing a character from the 1960s sitcom “The Beverly Hillbillies.”