By Woodrow Carroll
A Manager of the Year candidate in the American League would have to strong consideration go to the Texas Rangers’ Bruce Bochy.
Entering Monday’s game at home against the L. A. Angels, the Rangers were 70-48 and locked in a heated battle with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros for first place in the American League West Division.
Bochy merits consideration, so let us turn the clock back to 2022.
The Rangers were managed first by Chris Woodward, then Tony Beasley, and ended up with a 68-94 won-loss record.. The Rangers were a franchise worst 13-32 in one-run games among other things.
The Texas Rangers are the second coming of the Washington Senators. History tells us that the original Senators left Washington after the 1960 campaign and resurfaced in Minnesota as the Twins.
Not wanting to leave the District of Columbia without a Major League Baseball franchise, the American League gave us the new Senators in 1961. The franchise faltered out of the gate and after 1971, found a home in Texas as the Rangers.
The high-water mark for the Rangers organization came in 2010 and 2011. Texas lost the 2010 World Series to the San Francisco Giants in five games. Bruce Bochy was calling the shots from the Giants’ dugout?
The 2011 World Series was not pretty from the Rangers’ perspective. They were ahead three games to two and had the St. Louis Cardinals on the ropes. Twice in late going in game six, Texas led by two runs and had the Cardinals down to their last strike. However, St. Louis wiggled off the hook and came back to win in extra innings. Game seven of the 2011 Series was a 6-2 Cardinals’ victory, and was the last World Series appearance for the Rangers.
Bochy, 68, has made a name for himself in Major League Baseball circles. As a player Bochy was a catcher. However, Hall of Fame consideration for Bochy will be centered around his time as a manager.
Bochy played for the Padres long before managing the team. He was a backup catcher and Terry Kennedy was the Padres’ starting catcher for the 1984 Padres when San Diego reached the World Series before falling in five games to Detroit.
After two seasons as coach for the Padres, Bochy took over as manager of the Club in 1995. By managing the Padres into the 1998 World Series, Bochy earned the distinction of playing for (1984) and managing (1998) the only two Padres teams to reach the World Series.
Bochy guided the San Diego Padres for 12 seasons. To most, Bochy’s high-water mark was getting the Padres into the 1998 World Series. After getting the Padres into the World Series in 1998 was it as San Diego’s misfortune to face the New York Yankees who bounced the Padres four straight in the Series.
By reaching the World Series in 1998, Bochy, who was born in France when his father was in the U.S. Army, became the first foreign-born manager in the World Series.
It was in San Francisco, however, that Bochy cemented his legend. With the Giants, Bochy captured the World Series three times in 2010, 2012, and 2014. With it, Bochy became the 10th manager to win three or more World Series championships. The most were won by Joe McCarthy with nine championships and Casey Stengel with seven championships. Each is in the Hall of Fame.
Final note. How would you like to have the nickname “headly”? Bochy’s helmet/hat size is 81/8 and special headgear is called for and with it Bochy picked up the unusual nickname.