Bochy notches win No. 1,000 as Giants' skipper
Six-run 10th inning seals San Francisco's comeback
NEW YORK -- One would have thought that the Giants won the World Series after they defeated the Mets, 9-3, in 10 innings at Citi Field on Tuesday night. There was a reason for the celebration.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy won his 1,000 game in a Giants uniform and became the second manager -- with John McGraw as the other -- in franchise history to reach that win plateau.
“I don’t know if I’m in that class with John McGraw, but he set the bar ... with what he did. But [I’m] fortunate,” Bochy said. “That’s how I look at it. I’m blessed that I made a great decision by coming [to San Francisco] in 2007. It has been a tremendous ride for me.
“As a manager, you are riding the backs of these guys. These players have accomplished so much. I know we’ve had a tough go this year, but … a big win tonight. They are going hard. That’s all you can ask. Finding a way to win this ballgame is huge on the road.”
How fitting that Bochy reached the milestone against a team that he once played for. Another twist: He made his Major League debut as a member of the Astros in 1978 and it came against the Mets.
“On my ride to the ballpark today, I thought about [how my Major League career] started,” Bochy said. “... This is a special place with special memories. For this milestone to happen here, no question, it’s pretty special for me.”
The Giants celebrated Bochy’s milestone like no other. They toasted their manager and sprayed beer all over him. He then thanked his players for helping him reach the milestone.
“The players got me pretty good. They surprised me a little bit,” Bochy said. “They got me. It was a special night with the way they played. They came back and tied the game, and how we won it in extra innings. It’s a game I’m sure I’ll remember. ... For what they did, I can’t be thankful enough and grateful.”
Bochy met with his coaching and training staff, and they also toasted the skipper.
Infielder Pablo Sandoval and left-hander Madison Bumgarner played a role in Bochy reaching his 1,000th win. The duo were two of the reasons that Bochy has had a career to remember during his 13 years with the Giants. In addition to reaching the 1,000-win mark, Bochy has won three World Series titles in this decade.
Bumgarner pitched six solid innings, but he didn’t figure in the decision. Sandoval played a huge role in the Giants scoring six runs in the 10th inning. He entered the game in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter and finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
“I’m glad to see him get it. It’s a really big accomplishment. He has done so much for this organization,” Bumgarner said of Bochy. “He is a great manager, but he is one of my best friends in this game. I love him to death.”
Said Sandoval: “You don’t always see a manager get 1,000 wins [with one club] in the big leagues. It was special.”
The game was tied at 3 when San Francisco went ahead off Mets reliever Robert Gsellman in the 10th. With no outs and two runners on base, Stephen Vogt doubled over the head of Mets outfielder Michael Conforto, scoring Tyler Austin and Brandon Belt.
“It was special moment for Boch tonight,” Vogt said. “For me to play a part of it was really good. I’m honored to be back there and catch that game and get a hit that contributed to the win.”
Two batters later, Steven Duggar hit a lined shot that went off Gsellman and into left field, scoring Vogt.
Sandoval, with a two-run double, and Mike Yastrzemski, with an RBI single, capped off the frame.
The Giants weren’t the only ones who were happy to see Bochy reach the milestone.
“Obviously, everybody in baseball feels the same about Boch and who he is as a person, not just a manager,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “He’s just unbelievable. You talk to anybody throughout baseball, and they love this guy. That in itself says a lot, because he’s touched so many people and impacted so many lives. And then to win 1,000 games, at the big league level as a manager [with one team], is Hall of Fame-caliber stuff. It’s a pretty cool thing that he accomplished.”