Bruce Bochy Gets Rangers Over the Hump With First World Series Title

By: Mike Guerriere

What turned into a very thought provoking postseason of Major League Baseball, finally wrapped up last night after the Texas Rangers held the Arizona Diamondbacks scoreless in game 5 to win their first World Series Title in franchise history. 62 years is how long Rangers fans have had to endure the many years of being on the fringe of Good vs Great. 

It appeared that the Rangers were in “Rebuild mode” after a stretch of disappointing seasons from 2017 to 2022, where we saw the team finish second to last and last in the AL west. It finally came to a point where enough is enough, now 2023, it was time for a change to be made and little did fans know that bringing this one man out of retirement would change the course of this team’s history. 

His name?

Bruce Bochy.  

There are two things for which Bochy will be best remembered in baseball:

1. The first is that he is among the preeminent managers in baseball history, perhaps the best. His teams in San Francisco and Texas have four championships in the past 14 seasons; generated a 6-0 record in winner-take-all-games; and posted a stunning 17-4 record in games his teams had an opportunity to clinch, as the Rangers did in Game 5.

2. The other is that Bochy has an outstandingly large skull, something teammates and friends have long teased him about. The jokes usually make him laugh. But at that very  moment last night on Chase Field, with all the excitement being passed around among the Rangers, Bochy just wanted a championship hat. Unfortunately the first hat handed to him sat in the middle of his head like a pizza saver on a large cheese pie. “This hat is too small,” Bochy said sharply, reaching for another. Bochy reached for another, then another, and eventually got the hat he wanted and rejoined the celebration. Cap firmly atop his head, he resumed hugging a group of players who understood what he had done. Coming out of retirement to manage a team that won just 68 games last year, is flat out INSANE.

Mike Recaps The World Series

His experience in this postseason is why the Rangers felt that he was so right for the position, especially for a team that was all in on making big “splashes” in the free agent market. His ability to navigate the postseason struggles, handle his bullpen, and be flawless in his decision maker as a manager is what made them such a dominant threat in their final stretch vs the Diamondbacks and the rest of the playoffs.