Template:Infobox MLB player |} Bruce Douglas Bochy (born April 16, 1955) is the manager of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to joining the Giants, Bochy had been the manager of the San Diego Padres for twelve seasons. Bochy is the only former Padres player to serve as the team's manager. He has 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 pennant in 14 years, where they lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series. He reached the World Series for a second time in 2010, this time in a winning effort, and brought the first ever World Series Championship home to the city of San Francisco and the first for the Giants since 1954. He reached the World Series for the third time in 2012, also with the Giants. The Giants won the 2012 World Series in the 10th inning 4-3 over the Detroit Tigers in a 4 game sweep. He is both the first foreign-born manager to reach the World Series (1998) and the first European-born manager to win the World Series (2010).
Early life[]
Bochy is one of just eight Major Leaguers to be born in France (Landes de Boussac, Charente-Maritime), where his father was stationed as a U.S. Army officer at the time. However, Bochy grew up in Virginia and in Melbourne, Florida. He graduated from Melbourne High School, where he was baseball teammates with Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live fame.[1] He attended Brevard Community College and Florida State University. Bochy was then drafted in the first round (24th overall) by the Houston Astros in the 1975 Supplemental Draft.[2]
Playing career[]
As a catcher, Bochy played with the Houston Astros (1978–80), New York Mets (1982) and San Diego Padres (1983–87). In 802 career at-bats, he hit .239 with 26 home runs. He was the backup to Terry Kennedy when the Padres won their first NL pennant in 1984, and played in one game in the 1984 World Series, which the Padres lost in five games to the Detroit Tigers. Bochy was behind the plate on September 11, 1985, when Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds collected his record-breaking 4,192nd major league hit off Padres pitcher Eric Show.
Managing career[]
Bochy ejected from game, 2007
In 1996, Bochy was named the NL Manager of the Year. He has the most games managed in Padres history and with that, the most wins and losses. Bochy led the 1998 Padres to the World Series where they were swept in 4 games by the New York Yankees.
In 2006, new Padres CEO Sandy Alderson preferred to have a younger manager, so he allowed Giants General Manager Brian Sabean to interview Bochy for his job opening.[3] Bochy agreed to a four-year contract to replace Felipe Alou and become the Giants' new skipper on October 27, 2006.[4] He led the Giants to victory against the Texas Rangers in only five games in the 2010 World Series, and again brought the Giants to beat the St. Louis Cardinals for the NLCS title in 2012, and to a World Series title in 2012 besting the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 0.
Bochy also managed the 2004 and 2006 MLB All-Stars in the Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series.
Personal[]
Bochy is known for having one of the largest cap sizes in Major League Baseball at over size 8.[5] When he joined the Mets in 1982, they did not have a helmet that would fit him, and they had to send the ones he was using in the minors.[6] Bochy has a son who pitches professionally. Brett Bochy was drafted by the Giants in 2010.[7]
Bochy is not publicly known for an out-going, humorous presence. However the opposite is true. "Fans rarely see it because he becomes a two-by-four when the TV cameras click on."[8]
In May 2011, Bochy won the Ronald L. Jensen Award for Lifetime Achievement, which he accepted at the organization's National Youth Sports Awards.[9]
References[]
- General
- (1992) Baseball A Doubleheader Collection of Facts, Feats, & Firsts. St. Louis, Mo.: The Sporting News Publishing Co...
- Inline citations
- ↑ http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/20253625/the-lineup-ichiro-of-old-shows-up-in-bronx-cj-wilson-comes-up-small
- ↑ http://1980toppsbaseball.blogspot.com/2010/05/289-bruce-bochy.html
- ↑ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101024&content_id=15823984&vkey=news_sf&c_id=sf
- ↑ http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20061027&content_id=1725162&vkey=pr_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf
- ↑ http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/gamecenter/recap/MLB_20060716_ATL@SD
- ↑ http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Bruce_Bochy_1955
- ↑ Template error: argument title is required.
- ↑ Schulman, Henry. "SF Giants a cast of loveable knuckleheads", The San Francisco Chronicle, November 20, 2010.
- ↑ [1]
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Baseball-reference.com – Major league career managerial statistics
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Don Baylor |
National League Manager of the Year 1996 |
Succeeded by: Dusty Baker |
| Preceded by: Steve Lubratich |
Spokane Indians Manager 1989 |
Succeeded by: Gene Glynn |
| Preceded by: Steve Lubratich |
Riverside Red Wave Manager 1990 |
Succeeded by: last manager |
| Preceded by: first manager |
High Desert Mavericks Manager 1991 |
Succeeded by: Bryan Little |
| Preceded by: Steve Lubratich |
Wichita Wranglers Manager 1992 |
Succeeded by: Dave Trembley |
| Preceded by: Jim Riggleman |
San Diego Padres Manager 1995–2006 |
Succeeded by: Bud Black |
| Preceded by: Felipe Alou |
San Francisco Giants Manager 2007– |
Succeeded by: Current Manager |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bochy, Bruce |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 16, 1955 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Landes De Boussac, France |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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