San Francisco Giants manager, Bruce Bochy, announced his retirement following the conclusion of the upcoming season. Throughout 24, soon to be 25, years as a major league manager, Bochy has amassed close to 2,000 wins, including four National League Pennants and three World Series titles. An 83-79 record in 2019 will move Bochy ahead of Leo Durocher for tenth place on the all time managerial wins list.
Bochy’s resume makes him primed for the Hall of Fame one day, joining CC Sabathia as the second presumably Cooperstown worthy baseball figure to announce retirement in three days.
“I will be retiring after the season.” —@BruceBochy #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/MeuqlZdSSl
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) February 18, 2019
Early Days
Bruce Bochy, the player, did not amount to much. Over 358 games, he hit .239 with a .685 OPS. He retired from playing in 1987.
His managerial career began when he was hired by the San Diego Padres in 1995. Over 12 years, he won 951 games, four division titles, and the 1998 National League pennant.
Building A Legacy
Bochy built a reputation as one of the best to ever manage during his stint in San Francisco, winning 975 games through 2018. Taking over in 2007, he has experienced it all during his time by the bay. Initially, he dealt with the lowest of lows, as the team finished last in the National League West his first season.
He managed to squeeze the most out of his players, and the team slowly improved each season. Eventually, Bochy’s teams popped, running to a surprise first place finish and World Series winning run in 2010, the franchise’s first in San Francisco.
It was this year, that Bochy would start to experience the highest of highs, as he led the Giants to three championships over five years. Since the start of the expansion era (1961), Bochy is one of only four managers to win at least three World Series titles. The other three are Hall of Famers, Sparky Anderson, Joe Torre, and Tony LaRussa.
295 @MLB managers have begun their careers since the dawn of the Expansion Era in 1961.
Four have won 3 or more World Series titles:
Sparky Anderson
Joe Torre
Tony La Russa
Bruce BochyThree Hall of Famers . . . and one no-doubter. @MLBNetwork @SFGiants
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 18, 2019
One day, Bruce Bochy will reside in the Baseball Hall of Fame, where his legacy will be as a manager that brought prosperity to a city that had yet to taste a sip of World Series glory.
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