Bruce Bochy finally returned to San Francisco, though not in the way we would have liked. He and the Texas Rangers came into San Francisco for a three-game set that didn’t go well for the San Francisco Giants. It appears that Bochy will once again be managing a team in the playoffs.
Bruce Bochy Returned to San Francisco
Why Isn’t He With the Giants?
It seems that Bochy did not take long in getting settled back in San Francisco. It was even mentioned on a KNBR in-game broadcast that he went to Half Moon Bay and did some deep-sea fishing. This is the place he’s been familiar with for a long time, to say nothing of his history with his former team. So why isn’t he with the Giants as we speak?
Hard to wrap our minds around, right? Bochy planned to retire after the 2019 season after a lengthy career that involved 12 years of managing the San Diego Padres and 13 years of managing the Giants. And he did retire, or so it seemed. But in 2023, he decided to come back into baseball. And it was too late for the Giants to bring him back.
Who knows where he’d be taking the Giants if he was still with them? I’m not picking on Gabe Kapler; I’m just bringing this up because Bochy brought something legendary and exceptional to the Giants by being their manager in their golden age. Those kinds of things often factor into the makeup of a team. Of course, he would need either cooperation from the front office in terms of making full-blown postseason runs, or else a definitive plan for bringing the team into serious contention by upgrading the farm system.
But Bochy would definitely bring a lot to the Giants. Now though, it looks like he’s taken his managerial skill over to Texas.
During his introduction during #SFGiants ‘93 Team Ceremony, Barry Bonds called over Bruce Bochy for a hug 🧡🖤 pic.twitter.com/CHF2B8gH9f
— Therese Viñal (@ThereseVinal) August 13, 2023
Bochy’s Return is Similar to Bumgarner’s Return in 2021
Although long-time Giants ace Madison Bumgarner did pitch at Oracle Park in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, it makes sense to call 2021 his official return year since that’s when the fans were there to see it. In September of 2021, the Giants played the Arizona Diamondbacks. And Buster Posey actually hit a double off Bumgarner.
Bumgarner’s return was definitely a high moment. And it gives off almost the same feeling to see Bochy come back. You get the sense that a bit of the legendary spirit still survives. I just wish the Giants could carry it into their playing.
And that brings up the next point. We’ve looked at the things that are fundamentally similar in regard to how the respective legacies of Bumgarner and Bochy played out when they competed against the Giants. So now it’s time to look at what is fundamentally different. The Giants were successful against Bumgarner in that September game in 2021. But now, they’re losing to their former manager’s team.
And it might not stop there. What if the Giants played the Rangers in a World Series? That would be pretty crazy for sure. Bochy would be trying to win his fourth World Series championship ring, this time against the Giants. So what’s the message right now? The Giants had better get ready for that. Up until now, I’ve been putting the focus on the Los Angeles Dodgers as the main opponents to be afraid of. But there are others, and the Rangers are an excellent example.
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Main photo credits:
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
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