Terry Francona's Italian restaurant, Tito's, is MLB Network fun

TL;DR

MLB Network featured a humorous segment about Terry Francona's Italian restaurant, Tito's, coinciding with his birthday. The segment showcased Cincinnati Reds players in various roles at the fictional restaurant, highlighting their contributions in a comedic manner.

Key points

MLB Network aired a funny segment about Terry Francona's restaurant.
The segment coincided with Francona's birthday.
Cincinnati Reds players were assigned comedic roles at the restaurant.

Mentioned in this story

Terry FranconaSal StewartEugenio SuárezElly De La CruzDane MyersTJ FriedlTony SantillanGraham AshcraftChase BurnsRhett Lowder

Cincinnati Reds

MLB Network pulled out all the stops in a very funny Cincinnati Reds segment about the National League Central's first-place team operating as if a new Italian restaurant called Tito's run by manager Terry Francona, on Francona's birthday of all days.

"MLB Central" co-host Mark DeRosa introduced it as follows: "Cincinnati's known for Skyline Chili, but word on the street is Francona opened up Tito's, and it's getting rave reviews. And by the way, there is only one cook in his kitchen. Okay?"

DeRosa says rookie Sal Stewart is serving as the maître d' at Tito's, adding that Stewart "has changed the landscape of the (Reds') lineup."

DeRosa continues by saying Eugenio Suárez is the accordion player, "keeping good vibes," adding that infielder Elly De La Cruz is "over in the corner in the private booth … sinking his teeth into (something) spicy." Dane Myers and TJ Friedl are, of course, "setting the tables," with Tony Santillan, Graham Ashcraft and the Reds' bullpen serving tiramisu for dessert to complement Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder bartending. (DeRosa points out Burns was born in Naples, Italy.)

Video from MLB Network via Twitter/X:

In addition, DeRosa and Reds Hall of Famer Sean Casey examined De La Cruz's approach from both sides of the plate:

Q&A

What is Tito's restaurant in relation to Terry Francona?

Tito's is a fictional Italian restaurant created as part of a humorous segment on MLB Network, celebrating Terry Francona's birthday.

Which Cincinnati Reds players were featured in the MLB Network segment?

The segment featured players like Sal Stewart, Eugenio Suárez, Elly De La Cruz, and others in various comedic roles at Tito's restaurant.

What was the theme of the MLB Network segment about the Cincinnati Reds?

The segment humorously portrayed the Reds as if they were operating an Italian restaurant called Tito's, with players taking on unique roles in the restaurant setting.