Bruce Bochy is no stranger to delivering a city its first World Series title -- a feat the former Giants manager now has accomplished twice.
Almost 13 years to the day after leading the Giants to their first championship in San Francisco, Bochy on Thursday night hoisted the Commissioner's Trophy as manager of the Texas Rangers after his new team defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games to win the Fall Classic.
And, unsurprisingly, Bochy recognizes plenty of similarities between that first trophy in the Bay and the first in Rangers franchise history.
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"It means a lot to me, it really does," Bochy told ESPN after the Rangers' 5-0 win at Chase Field (h/t KNBR). "[The Rangers have] been close a couple times -- I was involved in one in 2010 -- but they were so thirsty for a championship. ...
"It reminds me of San Francisco a little bit. Back in 2010, they hadn't won a championship. But I think of the players, first of all, I think of them -- guys who had not been to a World Series, guys who now have a ring. But all those [Rangers] fans who have been through some torture, I couldn't be happier."
"Torture" became a rally cry of sorts for both the Giants and their fans in 2010 thanks to an excruciating season full of nail-biters. But after all the ups and downs -- and close games -- throughout the campaign, San Francisco won its first World Series title in the city's history when Bochy and Co. defeated the Rangers, then led by Ron Washington, four games to one.
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Bochy would go on to win two more championships in the Bay before he retired following the 2019 MLB season. He returned to baseball in 2023 to manage the Rangers, and his goal with Texas was clear from his introductory press conference last October.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to help bring a championship to Texas," Bochy said. "I know we have some work to do, but I can tell you I'm all in. I'm all in on this."
Just as he was in San Francisco, Bochy was all in with the Rangers and became the first manager in MLB history to win a championship with a team he previously had beaten in the World Series.
Through all the torture -- franchises aside -- Bochy now is a four-time World Series champion manager. And fans both in San Francisco and Texas have plenty to thank him for.
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