MLB
Bruce Bochy To Retire After 2019 Season
Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced early Monday that the upcoming season will be his last. The longtime manager entering his 25th season will be retiring after this season. The future Hall of Fame manager has been the Giants’ manager since 2007 and a staple of the Giants organization.
In his 12 seasons as the Giants manager, Bochy has accomplished so much. The skipper has a winning record of 975-969, two NL West Titles, four playoff appearances, three NL Pennants, and three World Series Titles in five years. The first one, in 2010, ended the Giants’ 52 year title drought.
There is no doubt the next time we see Bochy on the big stage will be in Cooperstown. In the history of baseball, there are 10 managers with at least three World Series Championships. Bruce Bochy is one, the other nine are in the Hall of Fame. Bochy also is 11th overall in managerial wins with 1,926. The 10 that are ahead of him on the list are in the Hall of Fame.
In October, when every move is often under extreme scrutiny and some managers burn out in the bright lights, Bruce Bochy thrived. Boasting a 44-33 playoff record and ranking 4th all-time in postseason wins, nearly every move Bochy made in his postseason career worked. Even more impressive, every single one of the World Series winning teams were underdogs. Bochy always managed somehow to pull the right strings in those postseason series.
Next season it will be weird to see someone else perched atop the dugout entrance. But that is next season. This season will be about appreciating someone who has done a lot for the organization. For every Giants fan, Bruce Bochy will forever be a key part of a dynasty. So when he tips his size 8 1/4 cap (the largest size in baseball) for the last time, it will be a sad day. But knowing Bochy, he will make sure he is the background this year, putting full focus on the team. Either way, this season will be the farewell tour that is more than deserved for one of the best managers of all time and future Hall of Famer.
Photo credit to beisbolsinaloa via Flickr
