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Francona: Indians' bullpen phone miscommunication leaves Joey Votto facing wrong reliever

Indians manager Terry Francona says he was "by far" the worst player on the 1987 Reds and he talks about his relationship with Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman.

Don't expect anything to take away from the thrill Cincinnati Reds fans felt when Joey Votto doubled off of Dan Otero to clear the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth in Cleveland on Tuesday night - the climax of a seven-run inning in an improbable 7-4 win against the Indians.

But Tribe fans apparently have something to bemoan in addition to the fact that their team's bullpen squandered its late four-run lead, as manager Terry Francona told reporters after the game that he wanted left-handed reliever Oliver Perez - not the right-handed Otero - to pitch to Votto, but Indians pitching coach Carl Willis - who pitched for three seasons for the Reds from 1984 to 1986 - misheard him over the bullpen phone, as reported by The Enquirer's Bobby Nightengale in his game story.