Bochy reunites with man who set career path
SAN DIEGO – It has been 13 years since Bruce Bochy managed the Padres, but every visit to Petco Park remains a reunion. Familiar faces are around every corner.
One visitor to the Giants manager’s office Tuesday was the man who gave him his first managerial job. Tom Romenesko, now a D-backs pro scout, was the Padres’ farm director in the 1980s when Bochy transitioned from being a big league catcher to a Triple-A player/coach to a manager at the lowest levels of the Minors.
“I always had a feeling, but I remember when I knew he was going to be a Major League manager,” Romenesko said. “No. 1, he cared about his players. Luis Lopez tore his knee up in Riverside. Who took him to the doctor [in San Diego] the next day? Bruce Bochy.
“We didn’t have the staff. I was calling up there -- how are we going to get him down here? ‘Oh, I’ll take him,’ Bochy said. That’s when I knew.”
Bochy broke into a grin at the memory, his mischievous wit stirring.
“He was my best player!” Bochy said. “I wanted to get him healthy quick.”
Bochy’s Major League playing career ended after the 1987 season. He knew he was just about done and was exploring coaching opportunities. At the same time, Romenesko saw the same career path ahead for him. The Padres offered a player/coach job at Triple-A Las Vegas, a chance to learn the ropes of coaching under manager Steve Smith while also tutoring the pitching prospects and a young catcher named Sandy Alomar Jr.
One problem: Alomar suffered a late-season injury that forced Bochy to play more than planned, 53 games in all.
“I went down there to do more coaching than catching,” Bochy said. “Next thing I know, I’m the everyday catcher. This isn’t what I signed up for. It’s 115 degrees. I haven’t really worked out like a player would. I’m throwing batting practice every day. I’m hitting fungos. All of a sudden, I’m behind the plate. … I’m pretty beat up. Those are some long games in the PCL.”
One of the reasons Bochy got beat up was a wild right-hander by the name of Kevin Towers. Romenesko paired Bochy and Towers as manager and pitching coach at Class A Short Season Spokane in 1989. Those two reunited in the big leagues as manager and general manager of the Padres a few years later.
Bochy is in his 25th season as a big league manager, and his 13th with San Francisco. He entered Tuesday 37 wins away from 2,000 and, with three World Series titles, has a strong argument for the Hall of Fame. He announced in Spring Training that this is his final season with the Giants.
Today, it’s fashionable to hire a manager with no experience at the job. But Bochy believes his four years as a Minor League manager were invaluable.
“Huge benefit. I’ve always felt that,” Bochy said. “I wasn’t ready to manage in the Major Leagues when I went to Spokane. Dealing with all the different things you deal with. I had a player walk in and say he’s homesick. All the different situations that come up, you learn from it. I needed that experience.”
Crawford remains out
Shortstop Brandon Crawford was out of the lineup for a third straight game because of right hamstring tightness.
“He’s doing better,” Bochy said. “He’s coming around. There’s a good chance of him playing tomorrow. He’s made progress.”