Bochy Makes History with Fourth World Series Title

Spokane, Wash. - In the not too distant future, Bruce Bochy will be enshrined among baseball's all-time greats in Cooperstown. He's not done adding lines to his plaque yet, though.

The former Spokane Indians skipper took over a Texas Rangers team that won just 68 games in 2022 and led them to their first World Series title in franchise history with last night's 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. In doing so, Bochy became just the sixth manager in MLB history to win at least four championships, joining Casey Stengel, Joe McCarthy, Connie Mack, Walter Alston and Joe Torre.

"It’s really overwhelming because of what those men accomplished. But you look at that and you know that you’re benefiting from so many people, wells dug by others," Bochy said after Game 5 on Tuesday night. "And for me, to get into this situation, again, very fortunate. But to mention those names, I never thought in my wildest dreams when I started managing that I’d be in this position."

Bochy is only the third manager in MLB history to win a title in both leagues—joining Sparky Anderson and Tony LaRussa—and the first manager to win a World Series for and against the same franchise (having previously defeated the Rangers as manager of the San Francisco Giants in 2010). His 57 playoff wins are tied with Dusty Baker for fifth most in history, and after defeating Baker's Astros in the ALCS this year, Bochy is now a perfect 6-0 in postseason winner-take-all-games.

The 68-year-old skipper's 2,093 regular season wins are the most among all active managers and rank 10th all-time. He is the only manager in MLB history to win at least 900 games with two different teams (San Diego and San Francisco) and the first to win an LCS with three different franchises. Not bad for a career back-up catcher who batted just .239 across parts of nine big league seasons.

"He was the perfect guy for this team," catcher Jonah Heim said after the championship. "His baseball IQ, his knowledge and his poise at the helm. We've been lucky that, no matter the situation, he's always going to have that calm, stoic look on his face and we know everything's gonna be alright."

Originally a first-round pick of the Houston Astros in 1975, Bochy retired from baseball after the 1987 season before landing his first managerial job with the Spokane Indians in 1989. The 34-year-old led the Indians to a 41-34 regular season record and the third of four consecutive Northwest League titles—a sure harbinger of what was to follow in his Hall of Fame career.

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