Jaffe: Postseason burnishes Hall of Fame credentials for Giants’ Bochy
From SABR member Jay Jaffe at SI.com on October 20, 2014:
When Travis Ishikawa hit his game-winning three-run homer off Michael Wacha, he not only sent the Giants to the World Series, but he also may have sent manager Bruce Bochy to the Hall of Fame. Regardless of the outcome of the coming matchup with the Royals, the 59-year-old skipper’s resume is now gaudy enough to give him an excellent shot at eventual enshrinement.
With the Giants’ defeat of the Cardinals, Bochy has now presided over four pennant winners, namely the 1998 Padres and 2010, 2012 and 2014 Giants. He’s the 23rd manager to reach that milestone, and all 22 of the others have plaques in Cooperstown. Some are there more on the basis of their work as pioneers (Harry Wright and Charlie Comiskey), others as 19th-century managers (Ned Hanlon and Frank Selee) who never reached the World Series (which began in 1903), and still others at the tail end of their careers as players (Cap Anson, Frank Chance and Fred Clarke), but all have been recognized nonetheless. So have a handful of managers with two (Al Lopez and Wilbert Robinson) or three (Bucky Harris and Whitey Herzog) pennants. That quartet has just three championships between them, a total Bochy could equal if his Giants prevail.
Read the full article here: http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/20/bruce-bochy-san-francisco-giants-hall-of-fame
Originally published: October 20, 2014. Last Updated: October 20, 2014.