Bruce Bochy beat Texas in World Series before winning it with Rangers

In the extensive history of Major League Baseball, only four managers have had the honor of winning a World Series with multiple teams:

• Bucky Harris – 1924 Washington Senators, 1947 New York Yankees
• Bill McKechnie – 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1940 Cincinnati Reds
• Sparky Anderson – 1975 & 1976 Cincinnati Reds, 1984 Detroit Tigers
• Tony La Russa – 1989 Oakland Athletics, 2006 & 2011 St. Louis Cardinals

And now, we can add one more name to this exclusive list. Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has joined this esteemed club, which includes four Hall of Famers. What sets Bochy apart is that he holds the record for the most World Series titles among them, having won three with the San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012, and 2014, and now securing a new victory with the Texas Rangers.

There have been other managers who came close to achieving this feat. For instance, Terry Francona won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox and had a chance to win another with Cleveland in 2016, but fell short against the Chicago Cubs in a seven-game series. Another example is Al Dark, who won a World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1974 and led the San Francisco Giants to the World Series in 1962, only to lose in seven games to the New York Yankees.

Yet, it is Bruce Bochy who stands above them all.

Interestingly, Bochy not only won a World Series with the Texas Rangers but also defeated them in a previous World Series. This achievement adds an extra layer of significance to his accomplishment.

Bruce Bochy’s World Series Victories

Bochy’s triumph with the Texas Rangers in 2023 is the latest addition to his impressive legacy. He played a crucial role in the Giants’ dominant run in the early 2010s, leading them to three World Series championships. In 2014, the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals, who had previously won the title the following year. Two years earlier, they swept the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. Notably, in 2010, the Giants clinched victory against none other than the Texas Rangers, securing a 4-1 series win.

This historic accomplishment showcases Bochy’s exceptional managerial skills and solidifies his place in baseball history.

A feat unmatched in history

To put it simply, what Bochy has achieved is unprecedented. He is the first manager to defeat a team in the World Series and then go on to manage that same team to a championship. None of the managers mentioned earlier were able to accomplish this unique feat.

However, there is one person who achieved something similar. Casey Stengel, as the manager of the New York Yankees from 1949 to 1958, won an impressive seven World Series titles. During this period, he defeated notable teams such as the Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, and Milwaukee Braves. As a player, Stengel also won two World Series championships with the New York Giants in 1921 and 1922, both victories coming against the New York Yankees. This makes Stengel the only one in baseball history to have experienced winning a title with and against both the Giants and the Yankees.

Bruce Bochy’s legacy among MLB managers

With his extraordinary achievements, Bochy has secured his place in the prestigious Baseball Hall of Fame. Let’s take a look at where he stands among the all-time greatest managers in key categories:

• Games: 4,032 (7th all-time)
• Wins: 2,093 (10th all-time)
• Playoff wins: 56 (4th all-time)
• Pennants: 5 (T-9th all-time)
• World Series Titles: 4 (T-4th all-time)

In conclusion, Bruce Bochy’s remarkable journey as a manager has solidified his status as one of the greatest in MLB history.

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