Guardians Manager Terry Francona's Beloved Scooter Stolen; Police Recover It Safe And Sound

Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona had a brief scooter-related scare when his preferred ride to home games was stolen from his apartment.

These days, most of the vehicle-stealing world is focused on Kias and Hyundais. (Thanks TikTok.) However, one thief was in the market for something more fuel-efficient.

For the scooter enthusiasts among us — and there are many — Francona whips around on a 2018 Genuine MC Buddy 170i. The '18s have some pep. That puppy will hit 60 if the wind's blowing right; 65 if you put on one of those teardrop Tour de France helmets for proper aerodynamic airflow.

Terry Francona's scooter is so popular the team did a bobblehead giveaway for it. (Getty Images)

According to TMZ, Francona told the police that he parked his scooter outside of his apartment on Friday night. He also said that he took the ignition key out of the scooter. Nonetheless, someone snatched Francona's scooter from his place between 9:30 that night and 8 the following morning.

This was a celebrity scooter theft. Not just in the sense that a celebrity of sorts had their scooter stolen, but that the scooter was the celebrity.

Francona's penchant for wheeling to games is well-known. It was even at the center of a good-natured controversy when the Guardians skipper parked his ride in the visitors' office. This led to Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash joyriding it onto the field.

So, what I'm getting at is this scooter is a piece of baseball history. A small piece of baseball history.

Fine, at best it's a small piece of baseball-adjacent history.

But fear not, they've found Francona's beloved 2018 Genuine MC Buddy 170i.

Early Wednesday morning, Cleveland police announced that they had recovered Francona's wheels. There haven't been any more details about the circumstances of the theft. I think we're all wondering who stole it, where it was found, and if it was stolen by a Tigers fan.

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