Giants win, Bruce Bochy joins 2,000-win club
The countdown to Cooperstown begins
BOSTON – Bruce Bochy admitted he hadn’t given much thought to joining one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs.
On the brink of earning his 2,000th career victory as a major league manager, Bochy sat in the visitor’s dugout at Fenway Park before Wednesday’s game and downplayed what reaching the milestone would mean to him.
“I’ll be honest, that’s not a number I’ve ever thought about,” Bochy said. “I know it’s a possibility it could happen this year.”
When Bochy’s San Francisco Giants put the finishing touches on an 11-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, the possibility became a reality.
With 11 days remaining until Bochy steps away from the dugout and rides off into retirement, he became the 11th manager in Major League history to record 2,000 wins. The 10 who joined the club before him are all in the Hall of Fame.
With the countdown to 2,000 victories now over, the next countdown has officially begun.
If Bochy keeps his word and stays away from managing, the Today’s Game Committee will decide his Hall of Fame fate in December, 2021. A 2022 summer ceremony in Cooperstown is three years away, and it’s only a matter of time before Bochy’s plaque is placed alongside the rest of baseball’s legends.
As his 25th consecutive season managing in the major leagues draws to a close, Bochy expressed an appreciation for all the support he’s received from front offices, coaches and players along his journey. The early help in Wednesday’s victory was provided by a starting pitcher who has a tremendous appreciation for Bochy’s old-school style, veteran right-hander Jeff Samardzija.
Samardzija tossed six innings of one-run ball to lead the pitching staff.