CINCINNATI (AP) — The friendly feud between Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona and Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, which dates to at least 2015, continued during batting practice on Friday when the scoreboard at Great American Ball Park showed a looped video of Cash, playing for the Boston Red Sox, striking out against Yankees right-hander A.J. Burnett in 2010.
Francona said finding a clip of Cash striking out wasn't difficult.
“You could have got that clip off most pitchers,” Francona said. “I’m still trying to figure out why I played him against A.J. Burnett. That was more on me than him.”
Light-hearted jabs and creative pranks have gone on for years between the two managers who have a combined 2,876 wins going into Saturday's matchup, with 2,004 of those victories belonging to Francona. The Reds are facing the Rays for the first time since Francona was hired as manager in October.
“I've taken my share of jabs, too,” Cash said, after seeing the video clip. “But mine are private.”
Their close relationship began when Cash, a catcher, played for Francona in Boston in 2007 and 2008. He was later on Francona's staff in Cleveland in 2013 and 2014.
“The relationship grew (with) how he helped me along the way, in the early stages of the interview processes with different clubs,” Cash said.
Francona said Friday that he always believed Tampa Bay was the right place for Cash who owns an 872-750 record in 11 seasons with the Rays, adding that he had the qualities to be a successful skipper.
“He hit like a manager,” Francona said.
It's not the first time Francona has used a scoreboard to prank Cash. During the Rays' visit to Progressive Field in 2017, a scoreboard message asked, "How bad is Kevin Cash at the plate?” then showed Cash’s career statistics including his .183 batting average.
All in good fun, they say.
“Certainly to this day, he's probably the first person I'm going to call outside of someone inside the (Tampa Bay) organization for guidance and advice," Cash said.
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Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash watches from the dugout during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona looks on from the dugout during the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Washington, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (AP) — A new construction accident on a road near Thailand's capital, Bangkok, was reported on Thursday, just 24 hours after a construction crane fell on a moving passenger train in the country's northeast, killing at least 32 people.
There was no immediate official confirmation of deaths in Thursday’s accident, but the Facebook page of Fire & Rescue Thailand, which covers the activities of volunteer firefighters and rescue workers, said at least one person was killed.
The accident occurred at the site of an elevated road construction project.
Meanwhile, the search for survivors from Wednesday’s train accident in Nakhon Ratchasima province has ended, said provincial governor Anuphong Suksomnit. Officials said three passengers listed as missing were presumed to have gotten off the train earlier, but that was still being investigated.
Officials believed there had been 171 people aboard the train’s three carriages, which were being removed from the scene on Thursday.
The latest accident on the outskirts of Bangkok saw a construction crane collapse on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province at around 9 a.m., according to the government's Public Relations Department, which added that two vehicles were trapped in the wreckage, which included massive metal girders.
Rescue operations were underway, the statement added.
The construction project, an extension of the Rama 2 Road expressway — a major artery leading from Bangkok — has become notorious in recent years for construction accidents, some of them fatal.
At the train accident scene in Nakhon Ratchasima, work to remove the wreckage continued Thursday, after search and rescue operations concluded Wednesday night. The accident saw a falling crane derail and crush parts of the train under it.
The authorities said the crane that fell was a launching gantry crane, a mobile piece of equipment often used in building elevated roadways.
Narongsak Promta, the provincial police chief of Nakhon Ratchasima, told reporters at the site that police are working to verify the status of all passengers to determine the status of the three people listed as missing.
He said police are still collecting evidence and interviewing relevant parties and have not yet pressed charges against any party.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry reported that one South Korean national, a man in his late 30s, was among the dead. The ministry is providing consular services to the bereaved family.
The two-stage high-speed rail project on which the accident occurred has a total investment cost of more than 520 billion baht ($16.8 billion) and is associated with an ambitious plan to connect China with Southeast Asia under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.
Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.
A statement posted on the website of the company, also known as Italthai, expressed condolences to the victims and said the company would take responsibility for paying compensation to the families of the dead and hospitalization expenses for the injured.
The rail accident sparked outrage because Italthai was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok that collapsed during construction in March last year during a major earthquake.
About 100 people were killed in the collapse, which was the only major structure in Thailand to suffer such serious damage. Dozens of executives were indicted in connection with the disaster but none have yet been tried.
The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai and Chinese companies’ involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday the government was aware of the reports about the rail accident and had expressed condolences.
It was not immediately clear which companies were involved in Thursday's road construction accident.
Associated Press writers Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.
Forensic workers inspect the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A cuddly toy lies on the ground at the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
