Bruce Bochy

At 69 years old, Bruce Bochy has this physical status:

Bruce Douglas Bochy (born April 16, 1955) is an American former professional baseball player and manager.

He is best known as the former manager of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2019.

During his playing career, Bochy was a catcher for the Houston Astros, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres.

Prior to becoming the Giants' manager, he was the Padres' manager for 12 seasons.

Bochy led the Giants to three World Series Championships, and previously led the Padres to one World Series appearance.

Bochy was the 11th manager in MLB history to achieve 2,000 wins. Bochy is the only former Padres player to serve as the team's manager on a non-interim basis.

He participated in all five postseason appearances in Padres history, as a backup catcher in 1984 and as their manager in 1996, 1998, 2005, and 2006.

In 1998, he led the Padres to their first National League (NL) pennant in 14 years; however, they lost the 1998 World Series to the New York Yankees. Bochy reached the World Series for a second time as the manager of the 2010 Giants, this time in a winning effort over the Texas Rangers, and brought the first ever World Series Championship home to the city of San Francisco; it was the first for the Giants franchise since 1954.

Two years later, in the 2012 World Series, by sweeping the Detroit Tigers, Bochy managed the Giants to their second World Series Championship win in three years.

He reached the World Series for a fourth time, in 2014, and managed his third World Championship in five years, this time leading the Giants over the Kansas City Royals in seven games. Bochy was both the first foreign-born manager to reach the World Series (1998) and the first European-born manager to win the World Series (2010).

On July 23, 2013, he became the 21st manager with 1500 wins.

On April 10, 2017, Bochy surpassed Dusty Baker to become the Giants all-time managerial wins leader in the San Francisco Era.

On February 18, 2019, Bochy announced that the 2019 season would be his last, thus ending the tenure of the longest-serving active manager in Major League Baseball.

He is the only manager in Major League history to win at least 900 games with two different teams.

Early life

Bochy is one of just seven Major Leaguers to be born in France (in Bussac-Forêt, Charente-Maritime), where his father, Sgt. Major Gus Bochy, was stationed as a U.S. Army NCO at the time. Growing up, Bochy moved with his family to the Panama Canal Zone, South Carolina, northern Virginia, and ultimately Melbourne, Florida.

Bochy graduated from Melbourne High School, where he was a baseball teammate of Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live fame. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 8th round of the 1975 amateur draft but did not sign. He attended Brevard Community College (later known as Eastern Florida State College) for two years on a partial scholarship, winning a state championship in 1975, before committing to play baseball for Eddie Stanky at South Alabama, but he decided to turn pro when he was drafted in the first round (24th overall) by the Houston Astros in the 1975 Supplemental Draft.

Personal life

Bochy is the third of four children. His older brother Joe was a one-time catcher in the Minnesota Twins system, and later worked as a professional scout for the Padres and Giants.

Bochy met his wife, Kim Seib, while at Brevard Community College in 1975 and they married in 1978. They reside in Poway, California and have two sons, Greg and Brett. Greg Bochy spent several seasons playing minor league baseball in the San Diego Padres system. Bochy's younger son, Brett Bochy, was drafted by the Giants in 2010. Brett was called up to the majors on September 2, 2014, making Bruce the seventh manager in MLB history to manage his own son. On September 13, 2014, Bruce became the first manager to give the ball to his son coming out of the bullpen.

Bochy is known for having one of the largest cap sizes in Major League Baseball. With Houston, his nickname was "Headly," due to his unusually large head, with a hat size measurement of 81⁄8. When he joined the Mets in 1982, they did not have a helmet that would fit him, and they had to send for the ones he was using in the minors.

On February 19, 2015, Bochy underwent angioplasty to have two stents inserted in a blood vessel that was 90 percent blocked. On August 8, 2016, Bochy was hospitalized overnight for an irregular heartbeat and underwent a cardioversion procedure, missing one game. On April 18, 2017, Bochy underwent a minor heart ablation to reduce discomfort, mostly due to an atrial flutter, and missed two games. After the 2017 season, Bochy underwent another ablation procedure to treat an atrial fibrillation.

In May 2011, Bochy won the Ronald L. Jensen Award for Lifetime Achievement, which he accepted at Positive Coaching Alliance's National Youth Sports Awards. In 2011, the baseball field at Brevard Community College was named Bruce Bochy Field in his honor. In 2015, Bochy released A Book of Walks (ISBN 978-0985419035), describing his favorite walks around San Francisco and other major league cities.

Bochy has rated Johnny Bench as the first choice on "His Top Five Catchers, All-Time" list, with the following in descending order: Carlton Fisk, Yogi Berra, Thurman Munson, and Iván Rodríguez.

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Professional career

Bochy, a catcher, appeared with the Houston Astros (1978–80), New York Mets (1982) and San Diego Padres (1983–87). He hit.239 with 26 home runs in 802 at-bats. With the Astros, he primarily supported Alan Ashby. On February 11, 1981, Bochy was traded to the Mets for two minor leaguers. He was released by the Mets and signed as a free agent with the Padres two years later. Benito Santiago in 1987, he was the backup to Terry Kennedy from 1983-86 and rookie catcher Benito Santiago. Bochy spent his remaining season as a player-coach in Triple-A Las Vegas, batting.231 in 53 games.

In Game 4 of the 1980 NLCS versus the Philadelphia Phillies, Bochy was behind the plate with the Astros, when Pete Rose ran over Bochy to score the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth inning game. When the Padres won their first NL pennant in 1984, he was a backup to Terry Kennedy. He appeared in one game in the 1984 World Series, which the Padres lost in five games to the Detroit Tigers. Bochy's tenth-inning home run off Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros on July 1, 1985, the first walk-off home run allowed in Ryan's career. When Pete Rose, now with the Cincinnati Reds, scored his record-breaking 4,192nd major league hit off Padres pitcher Eric Show, he was behind the plate on September 11, 1985.

Managing career

Bochy was hired by Padres general manager Jack McKeon to oversee in their minor league system after retiring as a player. He started the 1989 season as a member of the Riverside Red Wave before heading to the Short-Season Class-A Spokane Indians, bringing them to their third straight championship. Bochy took over as the Red Wave's manager in 1990, achieving a 64-78 record. In 1991, Bochy followed the team to Adelanto, California, where they became the High Desert Mavericks, bringing them to a 73–63 record and a California League championship. Bochy was promoted to manager of the Double-A Wichita Wranglers in 1992, winning them the Texas League Championship that year.

The San Diego Padres selected Bochy to be the team's third-base coach after four years of coaching for their minor league clubs under new coach Jim Riggleman in 1993. The Padres named Bochy as their new boss for the 1995 season following Riggleman's retirement from the 1994 season. Bochy, the Padres' youngest manager, rose from 47–70 in 1994 to 70–74 in his rookie year.

Bochy led the Padres to a 91–71 record and their second National League West division championship in franchise history in 1996, winning Bochy National League Manager of the Year and Sporting News National League Manager of the Year awards. Bochy led the Padres to a franchise-best 98-64 record and their second National League pennant in Padres history, receiving Sporting News Manager of the Year awards for the second time. The New York Yankees swept the Padres in four games in the 1998 World Series.

The Padres dramatically reduced payroll after the World Series and finished in five consecutive losing seasons. For the first time in franchise history, Bochy led the Padres to consecutive NL West titles in 2005 and 2006, but the Padres lost in the Division Series to the St. Louis Cardinals each year. According to NBC Sports Bay Area, relievever Trevor Hoffman played 457 games for Bochy, the most saves by one pitcher under one manager in Major League history. Sandy Alderson, the current Padres' CEO, wanted a younger boss, so he allowed Giants General Manager Brian Sabean to interview Bochy for his first interview.

After the 2006 season, Bochy left the Padres for the Giants. He finished his Padres career with a regular season record of 951–975 and a post-season record of 8–16. Bochy has the most games managed in Padres history, with more wins and losses. The Padres had five winning seasons under Bochy, winning four NL West titles and one NL pennant. While with the Padres, Bochy also supervised the 2004 and 2006 MLB All-Stars in the Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series.

On October 27, 2006, Bochy agreed to a three-year contract to replace Felipe Alou and become the Giants' new manager. In a 5-0 win over the Washington Nationals on August 8, 2007, he won his 1,000th game as manager. The Giants bounced back to finish 88–74 in 2009, the second-lowest ERA in the Majors, after two seasons of 90+ losses in 2007 and 2008. Bochy has been on a new two-year deal with an option for 2012.

The Giants won their first NL West title since 2003 on the final day of the regular season against the Padres. In the 2010 National League and the reigning 2-time National League champion (who had won a World Series during that time) the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. In the 2010 World Series, the Giants defeated the Texas Rangers in five games, winning the first World Series title and the Giants' first title since 1954, when the team was based in New York City. Following Bochy's 2012 contract option, the Giants used it throughout the season.

The Giants finished 86–76 and missed the playoffs in 2011. The Giants extended Bochy's deal through 2013, with a pick for 2014. For the second time in three years against the Padres, the Giants clinched the NL West for the second time in three years, defeating the Padres 94–68 record. In the 2012 NLDS, the Giants fell behind the Cincinnati Reds 0–2 before winning three consecutive games to avoid elimination. The Giants lost three games to one in the NLCS, but they clinched their second National League pennant in three seasons. In four games, the Giants dominated the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Bochy said the tagline for 2012 was "never say die" after the season.

The Giants extended Bochy's deal through to 2016. Bochy won 1,500 games on July 23, 2013. The Giants finished the season 76-86 and missed the playoffs in 2013. Bochy became the baseball's top win leader with 1,530 when Jim Leyland retired after the 2013 season. Bochy became the 19th manager to reach 1,600 victories on August 27, and also the all-time NL Western Division champion in managerial victories, surpassing Los Angeles Dodgers boss Tommy Lasorda for the first time since the introduction of division play in 1969.

The Giants were the second wild-card team in 2014, with an 88–74 record. Bochy told his players they had "champion blood" during a rough stretch of the regular season, referring to the Giants' 2010 and 2012 championships. The Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card Game, beating them three games to one in the NLDS and the St. Louis Cardinals' third NL pennant in five years. The "team of warriors" in Bochy's 2014 World Series defeated the Kansas City Royals, a series that took the complete seven games. Bochy was the tenth manager in MLB history to win three championships, with the previous nine players inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Giants reported on April 3, 2015, Bochy had signed a contract extension into the 2019 season. Bochy defeated the Giants for the fourth time in history, winning at least 700 games for two different clubs, including Sparky Anderson, Tony La Russa, and Jim Leyland. Chris Heston threw a no-hitter for the Giants on Saturday night, the fifth no-hitter by the Giants under Bochy, and Tim Lincecum in 2013 and 2014). Bochy became the 16th manager to win 1,700 games on September 27, 2015. In 2015, the Giants posted an 84-78 record and missing the playoffs.

Bochy won his 800th game as Giants boss on June 26, 2016. Bochy became the first manager since 1976 to intentionally miss the designated hitter, allowing Madison Bumgarner to bat for himself against the Oakland Athletics. The Giants were the second wild-card team in the 2016 season, winning on the final day of the regular season with an 87–75 record. The Giants won their 11th straight postseason series victory, dating back to 2010. The Giants lost the 2016 NLDS in four games to the Chicago Cubs, their first postseason series defeat under Bochy.

Bochy won his 840th game as Giants boss on April 9, 2017, beating Dusty Baker for the most points in the San Diego Padres' West Coast region. Bochy defeated Baker on Saturday in the Giants' home opener at AT&T Park and a 4–1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming the all-time San Francisco Giants managerial champion. Bochy was the 15th manager to win 1,800 games on May 3, 2017. Bochy was the first manager of the San Francisco Giants to win 900 games with two separate franchises in history, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 9–2. In 2017, the Giants' worst performance as a manager and the Giants' lowest since 1985.

Bochy earned his 1,906th career as boss on July 29, 2018, defeating Casey Stengel to 11th place on MLB's career wins list. The Giants finished 73–89 in 2018, due to a variety of injuries and an underperforming offense. Bochy became the longest-tenured manager in Major League Baseball with Mike Scioscia stepping down as the Los Angeles Angels manager on the last day of the 2018 MLB season.

Following the conclusion of the 2019 season, Bochy announced on February 18, 2019. Bochy won his 1,000th game as manager of the Giants on June 4 in a 9-3 victory over the New York Mets. Bochy is the 25th manager to win 1,000 games with one team, and he joins John McGraw as the first two Giants franchise managers to reach the milestone and the first in San Francisco. Bochy played in his 4,000th game on August 25, 2019. He is only the eighth manager to oversee 4,000 games. Bochy won his 2,000th game as a boss on September 18, 2019. He is the eleventh manager to win 2,000 games. The other ten CEOs are in the Hall of Fame.

Bochy completed his Giants' managerial career with a regular season record of 1052-1054 and a post-season record of 36-17. The Giants had seven winning seasons, four playoff appearances, three conference appearances, and three NL pennants and World Series championships in 13 seasons under Bochy. Bochy served as Bochy's front office manager before retiring as boss.

Bochy was appointed Manager of France's national baseball team on December 9, 2019.

The Texas Rangers hired Bochy as their new boss on October 21, 2022, and their 29th in franchise history. He is also the first manager in the two-league era to have played over 4,000 games in a single league before focusing on a single game in another. Dusty Baker, the second manager in the two-league era, has played over 3,000 games in a single league before he took over a single game in the other.

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