Morning Sports Update
“I feel fortunate to have been around so many good people because they’ve helped me get better,” Francona said of Cora.
Alex Cora and Terry Francona hug before Opening Day on March 26. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
March 30, 2026 | 11:01 AM
3 minutes to read
Red Sox managers past and present: The Red Sox’ opening series for the 2026 MLB season came against the Cincinnati Reds, managed by an old friend.
Terry Francona, who led the Red Sox from 2004-2011 — leading Boston to a pair of World Series titles — is in his second season with Cincinnati. He recently spoke about Alex Cora (the current Red Sox manager), who played under Francona in Boston.
“He’s an easy one to like,” Francona said of Cora to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. “I feel fortunate to have been around so many good people because they’ve helped me get better.”
Cora, for his part, has a high opinion of Francona as well.
“He’s a Hall of Fame manager, we know that,” Cora said of Francona, per Gabrielle Starr of The Boston Herald. “It’s just a matter of when he’s going to retire. Doesn’t seem like he wants to retire. But [I’m] excited about the opportunity to be here, blessed, to say the least.”
“I learned a lot from him those years,” Cora added, “I learned a lot from him just watching him from afar. And I know he’s ready for us.”
The Red Sox ultimately dropped two of three against Cincinnati to open the season, but will now try to turn the page with a series in Houston against the Astros.
Trivia: While managing the minor league team known as the Birmingham Barons in the 90s, what global superstar did Terry Francona briefly manage?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He was certainly more famous for playing another sport.
Scores and schedules:
The Fleet clinched a playoff berth on Sunday with a 4-2 win over the Frost.
The Celtics won on Sunday as well, notching a 114-99 victory over the Hornets in Charlotte. Boston will play the Hawks in Atlanta tonight at 7:30 p.m.
And the Bruins also got a Sunday win, rallying from a 3-0 first period deficit with a trio of third period goals to eventually win in overtime, 4-3. Boston will host the Stars on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, lost 3-2 to the Reds. Next up for the Red Sox is a three-game series in Houston against the Astros starting tonight at 8:10 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Bruins comeback: The Bruins completed a dramatic comeback on Sunday thanks to Pavel Zacha’s goal with just 11 seconds remaining.
BUZZER BEATER!!! 🤯
Pavel Zacha beats the buzzer with 11 seconds to go! pic.twitter.com/fOsOBHQllH
— NHL (@NHL) March 29, 2026
Jayson Tatum’s night: With Jaylen Brown out for the night, Tatum took over for Boston.
On this day: In 1978, the Red Sox acquired Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley along with Fred Kendall from Cleveland in exchange for Ted Cox, Bo Díaz, Mike Paxton and Rick Wise. Eckersley went on to win 20 games in his first season in Boston.
Daily highlight: Second-seeded UConn staged an improbable rally from 19 points down against top-seeded Duke to clinch a spot in the Final Four thanks to an instant-classic NCAA Tournament moment in the final second. Freshman Braylon Mullins nailed a three-pointer to give the Huskies their first lead since scoring the game’s opening points.
OH MY GOODNESS 😱
UCONN LEADSSSS UNBELIEVABLE #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/IPX2JWiw0b
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026
Trivia answer: Michael Jordan
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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