Former SF Giants managers Bochy, Baker set to clash in ALCS
Oct 13, 2023, 7:55 AM | Updated: 7:57 am
(Photo by MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)
(Photo by MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)
Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker are two beloved figures in San Francisco.
Bochy, the manager who helped lead the San Francisco Giants to three World Series championships in the 2010s, has continued his postseason success in his first year as the Texas Rangers skipper.
Baker, a Sacramento native and Del Campo High School alumni, is looking to win a second-straight ring after managing last year’s World Series champion Houston Astros.
The two former Giants managers are set to lead their respective Texas-based teams into the American League Championship series, with the winner moving on to represent the American League in the Fall Classic.
52 seasons, 4 World Series titles, and 102 Postseason wins between Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy.
There is no shortage of history in this illustrious managerial matchup. pic.twitter.com/9CW0CNI583
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 12, 2023
There has been no shortage of head-to-head matchups between these two future Hall of Famers.
Heading into the 2023 season, Bochy and Baker had faced off nearly 200 times since both started managing National League ball clubs in the 1990s.
“We go way back, back when he was in San Diego, and I was in San Francisco,” Baker said of Bochy in an interview with MLB.com in April.
“I left [the Giants], and he took my place after Felipe Alou, and we hooked up many, many times after that. You always know you have to do your homework and be ready because Bruce’s teams are going to be ready. He’s been a formidable foe for a long time.
“Over time, you just learn to respect the guy and what he does and how he’s doing,” Baker added.
Baker (seventh) and Bochy (tenth) are in the top 10 of MLB’s all-time manager wins list with 2,183 and 2,093 victories, respectively. The respect is there on both sides, something that Bochy alluded to when asked about Baker at the start of the season.
“He had some really good teams,” Bochy said of his fellow former San Francisco manager. “We had a tough time against the Giants for a while there when I was in San Diego. We’ll be battling now that we’re back in the same division.”
And battle they will, although there will be a lot more on the line this time than placing in the American League West division.
The Astros and Rangers will open up a seven-game series–a Texas vs. Texas affair–that is expected to bring plenty of excitement to the baseball world.
Bochy, who enters the series with an 86-119 record in head-to-head matchups against Baker, will now hope to change things around and lead the Rangers to their first World Series appearance since 2011.
While these two Giants legends will have to set aside their off-the-field relationship for at least four games, there is no shortage of appreciation regarding the longevity of this friendly rival between two longtime big league managers.
“You’re thankful for the longevity and even having that chance to have so many games against each other,” Bochy said when asked about his history with Baker. “They’ve been good. They’ve been heated when you’re rivals. We’ve had to battle a lot to try to beat the Giants. It can be that way again [between the Rangers and Astros].”
MLB Offseason Schedule
- Five days after the World Series ends – MLB free agency begins
- Five days after the World Series ends – Player and team options must be exercised or declined
- November 17th – Non-tender deadline
- December 6th – Rule 5 Draft
- Mid-February – Spring Training begins
SF Giants Schedule
- February 13-15th – Pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training workouts
- February TBD – Full squad workouts
- Saturday, February 24th – Spring Training opener vs. Chicago Cubs
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