Francona tries to jokingly nudge Ortiz toward early retirement

If David Ortiz could retire before the ALDS gets started, that'd be just fantastic for Terry Francona.

The Cleveland Indians skipper managed Ortiz on the Red Sox for eight seasons from 2004-11, and knows the slugger can change a baseball game completely with one swing.

That's why, if Ortiz would do Cleveland a favor and retire before Game 1 between the Red Sox and Indians gets underway, Francona would sign a check to his foundation as a thank-you gesture for his courtesy.

"I love David," Francona told reporters Thursday. "I don't want to see him beat us."

Ortiz owns a .458/.519/1.125 slash line against Cleveland this season, his best batting line against any team in 2016, so you can't blame Francona for trying.