Terry Francona’s World Series Rings Stolen in Arizona, Police Arrest Suspect

Two World Series rings owned by Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona were stolen in Arizona last month, but they were recently recovered and police arrested the suspect according to ESPN. The rings were reported stolen on Nov. 7 and per the Pima County (Arizona) Sheriff’s Department, the rings were sold at a sports memorabilia store in Phoenix by someone asking $40,000 each. According to investigators, the same seller attempted to sell the rings in exchange for a car. Police arrested 33-year-old Jamey Estep on Tuesday and he was charged with second-degree burglary, theft and trafficking in stolen property, which are considered felonies.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the effort that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has put forth in this,” Francona said in a statement. “Beyond that I can’t comment because it’s an open investigation.”

Even though the rings were reported stolen last month, Francona believes they could have been stolen earlier in the year during a burglary at his Arizona home. A tax refund check of $245,830 refund check was also taken during the burglary and police identified a woman who fraudulently deposited the check earlier this year.

Francona earned the World Series rings when he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox from 2004-2011. His team won the World Series his first season as manager and the Red Sox won it again in 2007.

“I thought we had a great scouting report,” Francona said after the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series per the Boston Globe. “But what it comes down to is having really, really good pitchers.”

Francona went on to become the manager of the Indians in 2013 and while he has yet to win a championship in Cleveland, he has had his share of success as he named AL Manager of the Year in 2013 and 2016, and led the team to the 2016 World Series but lost to the Chicago Cubs. In 2019, the Indians won 93 games, but they finished in second place in the AL Central and missed out on the playoffs.

Before Francona became a manager, he played in the big leagues from 1981-1990. He spent time with the Montreal Expos, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and the Indians.