Buster Posey and Bruce Bochy stood behind the Oracle Park batting cage Friday night swapping stories and sharing laughs.
It’s not tough to imagine both of them doing the same in Cooperstown one day.
Their time together in Giants uniforms will forever be etched in franchise lore for their contributions in bringing three World Series championships to San Francisco, one a heralded catcher and the other an all-time manager.
“No way we would’ve won three championships without him leading the way behind the plate,” Bochy said of Posey.
Nowadays, they’re on different teams, with Posey in his first year overseeing the Giants’ baseball operations department and Bochy in his third year managing the Rangers. Their paths are crossing this weekend as the teams play a three-game series at Third and King, and both will participate in Saturday’s celebration honoring former shortstop Brandon Crawford.
The Giants lost Friday night’s opener 2-0, failing to solve Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi and depriving Justin Verlander of his first win as a Giant. Verlander produced his second straight quality start but fell to Texas for the first time since 2018; he had been 8-0 in that span.
The Rangers maintained first place in the American League West, and it was another victory for Bochy, who recently passed Dusty Baker on the all-time wins list, where he ranks seventh. He’ll soon overtake Sparky Anderson.
The Giants are enjoying a good year, too, as their 17-10 record is keeping them in the company of the Dodgers and Padres in the National League West. Bochy isn’t surprised with Posey’s early success, citing his old catcher’s leadership during his playing days, which proved instrumental in the team’s title runs in 2010, 2012 and 2014, whether it was from behind the plate or the middle of the lineup or the clubhouse.
“As much as anything,” Bochy said, “they’re playing loose and playing the game right. (Bob Melvin) does such a great job here, and I’m sure Buster has helped relax things with how approachable he is and how well he communicates. I’m sure it’s done a lot for the fans, the players, the front office, to have their guy leading the way now.”
The Giants’ championship era isn’t yet represented at the Hall of Fame, but if anyone has clear paths to the hallowed shrine, it’s Posey and Bochy.
Posey might not have the longevity or counting stats (1,500 hits, 158 homers) like many Hall of Famers, but his rate stats are elite. He finished his career with a .302 batting average, a .372 on-base percentage, a .460 slugging percentage, and the second highest OPS+ among catchers who played at least 1,000 games.
To boot, he was a seven-time All-Star and won an MVP award, batting crown, Rookie of the Year award, Gold Glove, and four Silver Sluggers.
“I think you have to say he is (a Hall of Famer). Too much on that resume,” Bochy said. “You talk about longevity, but I look at it as guys who impact the game for 10 years or so, they’re Hall of Famers, they’re game-changers. He changed our organization, helped us win three championships. Too much on there for him not to be in the Hall of Fame.”
Bochy’s candidacy might be more defined if only because with the 2023 Rangers, he became the sixth manager in history to win four World Series titles. The other five to achieve the feat are already in the Hall of Fame.
Former general manager Brian Sabean, the architect of the championship teams who also had a hand in the latest Yankees’ dynasty, is a bonafide candidate. Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow are naturals for the Ford C. Frick Award, given each year to a longtime baseball broadcaster.
But it’s Posey and Bochy leading the charge to Cooperstown, and they could be inducted in the same July 2027 class. That’s the year Posey first will be eligible, through the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, after a five-year waiting period following retirement.
As for Bochy, he’d be eligible through the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot in 2027 but only in retirement. Managers aren’t eligible for induction if they’re still active, and Bochy has not indicated whether he’ll manage beyond this season, the third year of his three-year contract.
Elections for the Contemporary Baseball Era, which includes managers, executives and umpires, are held every three years. So if Bochy keeps managing, he’d need to wait until 2030. Until further notice, his passion to manage isn’t waning.
“I don’t assume anything. I don’t like talking about it. That’s for other people to decide,” Bochy said of his Hall prospects. “I just love what I’m doing.”
Bochy often heaps praise on the Rangers’ president of baseball operations, Chris Young, his friend and the man who hired him. Young pitched for the Padres when Bochy managed in San Diego, and they’ve kept a close relationship, which could give Bochy another reason to stick around.
In an era in which baseball ops departments mostly are led by executives who didn’t play in the majors, Young and Posey are among a handful of execs who did, and it’s no coincidence each incorporated some old-school tendencies into the game-planning.
“You see how competitive they were on the field, and also they’re smart guys,” Bochy said. “It’s great for the game. It makes them even more relatable. It doesn’t mean you have to have played. I’m not taking a shot at anyone. I’m just saying it’s a great quality.”
Honoring Crawford
Bochy said he’s “very appreciative” that he’ll be in the house for Crawford’s pregame ceremony honoring the four-time Gold Glove Award winner. It’ll also be attended by several other former Giants, along with Crawford’s family.
“This man did so much for us in helping us win championships,” Bochy said. “A tremendous player, a gifted defender obviously, but also a clutch hitter. A lot of great memories will go through my head when I see him out here tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it because of the great memories that we all got to share together. He was such a big part of it.”
Robbed in the ninth?
In the evening’s most controversial moment, Jung Hoo Lee was called out on strikes to open the ninth inning on Friday as he tried to avoid a pitch inside that seemed to hit his bat. Umpire Austin Jones maintained the ball hit Lee’s hand, and that he swung at the pitch, which would count as a strike.
Lee vehemently disagreed, and under MLB rules, the play is not reviewable.
“I just don’t understand why that call was made,” Lee said through Korean language interpreter Justin Han. “If there was a replay that could have happened, I think it would have been nice, but what the umpires kept saying was I went for the swing and then it hit my hand. I don’t know where the basic standard would be for an umpire right now.”