Without the Padres’ nudge Giants might never have had Bochy or three titles
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. >> Before the three parades down Market Street, before he owned a selection of shiny rings and before the Hall of Fame was even a consideration, Bruce Bochy was the manager of the San Diego Padres.
And before the Giants hired Bochy in the fall of 2006, he was still under contract with his former club.
“I was in Arizona, watching our Fall League team and I had to call Kevin Towers, god rest his soul, over something,” Brian Sabean said Monday. “Over what I don’t remember.”
An hour after Bochy, 63, announced the 2019 season would be his 25th and last as a major league manager, Sabean sat in an office in Scottsdale Stadium detailing how Bochy landed in San Francisco.
The Giants needed a replacement for Felipe Alou, whose contract expired after the 2006 season and was not renewed. Sabean was in the midst of a managerial search when he called his counterpart with the Padres, Towers, prepared to discuss a handful of topics. Sabean couldn’t remember the specifics of the call, but he wasn’t necessarily dialing to inquire about Bochy’s availability.
Sabean said Towers told him: “Boch is under contract, but he may have a chance to talk to other organizations.”
“And that’s really where it all started.”
After the Padres finished 88-74 in 2006, Sabean said Padres CEO Sandy Alderson took over baseball operations from the general manager. Some in the industry believed Alderson wanted to hand-pick his next manager, leaving Bochy, whose contract was set to expire after 2007, free to pursue other opportunities.
So the Giants asked for permission to interview, and within days, it was granted.
Shortly thereafter, Bochy was in San Francisco meeting with the late Peter Magowan, current CEO Larry Baer and Sabean, who developed a vision for the type of manager they wanted to succeed Alou.
“When Felipe’s tenure was up, we thought it was in the best interest of the organization for what had been set forth that we needed name recognition,” Sabean said. “I think whether it’s us as baseball people or our fans were appreciative of some of the stuff that he had done or how he had kind of weathered a lot of storms in San Diego.”
In 12 seasons with the Padres, Bochy led San Diego to four National League West crowns, including one in 2005 and one in 2006. However, the Padres reached the World Series just once during his tenure (1998) and Bochy had come under fire for some of his postseason
decision-making. Oh, the irony.
On Oct. 26, 2006, Bochy accepted a three-year offer from the Giants to become the club’s next manager. He said Monday he relied on his gut to leave the Padres and it’s with his gut that he’s decided to make 2019 his last season in San Francisco.
“It’s been an unbelievable ride,” Bochy said. “I have so much to be grateful for with the players, the city, the fans, but it’s time now.”
Since his arrival in
San Francisco, the Padres haven’t won a division title and have made the playoffs just once. The Giants have claimed three World Series titles while Bochy has established himself as a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest tacticians in postseason history.
Like each of his predecessors, Alou and Dusty Baker, Bochy will have the chance to remain with the organization in some capacity once his tenure as manager is complete. Bochy said he
would love to work alongside the duo, noting that Alou was sitting in the dugout when the Giants took the field Monday.
For now, though, Bochy’s only hope is that his last season as the Giants manager is one of his best.
“I look forward to one more shot, trust me, and us having a big year,” Bochy said. “I’m all in, I feel great and I look forward to the season. We’ve got a great bunch here and it’s a group that’s ready to go.”