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Tag: Bruce Bochy

  • Bruce Bochy’s exit from the Texas Rangers is an ominous storm front

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    Bruce Bochy and the Texas Rangers announced on Monday evening what has been expected for the past several months when the two parties said they like each other, but not enough to stay together.

    Not quite Keith Urban/Nicole Kidman-level split, but a split nonetheless.

    While announcing that Bochy’s run as the team’s manager is over, they announced that they have offered the 70-year-old future Hall of Famer a spot with their club as an advisor. Don’t expect him to take it.

    He sounds like a man who wants to remain on the bench, and there are openings already with other big league clubs. However this tenure ended, Bochy did what he was hired to do by leading the club to its first ever World Series. The Rangers don’t win that title without Bochy.

    On a conference call with the local media on Monday night, Rangers GM Chris Young said, “Boch’ will forever be a legend in Texas Rangers history.”

    Forget Texas Rangers history. Bruce Bochy led the Rangers to a World Series title. That makes him an American legend, a baseball hero.

    One of the primary reasons why Bochy came out of retirement to manage the Rangers was the recruiting pitch delivered by Young. At the time of the sales pitch, Young could tell Bochy that the club was serious about winning, and the ownership was prepared to spend the money to do it.

    “Moneyball” can make a team competitive, but Bochy has been around long enough to know that money wins championships.

    The Rangers had signed pitcher Jacob deGrom, and infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in free agency to monster contracts, among other additions.

    Now, CY can make no such promises. After finishing the season 81-81 despite the seventh highest payroll in Major League Baseball, Young has been told by his bosses things have to change. The first item of business is to reduce the team’s payroll; this ownership group is tired of spending money.

    A man of Bochy’s age is not going to stick around for another season on a team that isn’t good enough to compete for a championship. Bochy knows what is coming, so rather than deal with it he’s done. Expect pitching coach Mike Maddux to leave as well.

    “We probably are going to be a little bit of a younger team next year,” Young said Monday night. “There is no doubt about it. There is going to be player development at the big league level.”

    That does not mean a total rebuild. It does mean expensive players will be replaced by the younger ones. Cheaper ones. If the team trades Seager, deGrom and Semien, or any combination thereof, it’s a rebuild.

    Last week, Young said again that he does not think the Rangers need to tear it all down. He is a firm believer that the size of the DFW market should allow the Rangers to remain competitive every season without deliberate implosions.

    Young called it “financial uncertainty.”

    “Financial uncertainty” is man speak for “We ain’t spendin’ it.”

    Young’s first item of business will be to find a new manager, and his top candidate may already be on his staff. Senior advisor Skip Schumaker, who joined the club in November 2024, was the 2023 National League Manager of the Year with the Miami Marlins.

    Anyone who manages the Marlins is familiar with playing young, cheaper players.

    Don’t expect the Rangers to become the Texas Marlins, but their days of trying to spend with the Phillies, Cubs and Mets is on a break.

    Bruce Bochy’s tenure with the Rangers didn’t end the way either party wanted, but it did include the World Series that this team had never previously won. His reign as the team’s manager was a success, even if it was brief.

    This story was originally published September 29, 2025 at 10:20 PM.

    Mac Engel

    Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    Mac Engel is an award-winning columnist who has covered sports since the dawn of man; Cowboys, TCU, Stars, Rangers, Mavericks, etc. Olympics. Movies. Concerts. Books. He combines dry wit with 1st-person reporting to complement an annoying personality.
    Support my work with a digital subscription

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    Mac Engel

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  • Bruce Bochy will not return as Rangers manager in 2026, organization says

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    Texas Rangers and manager Bruce Bochy agree to part ways



    Texas Rangers and manager Bruce Bochy agree to part ways

    00:36

    Bruce Bochy will not return as the Texas Rangers manager next season, the organization announced Monday night.

    The Rangers said in a news release that Bochy and the organization mutually agreed to conclude his time as the team’s skipper. Bochy, who turned 70 this season, has been offered a role in the front office and is expected to remain with the club in an advisory capacity.  

    “Bruce Bochy is one of the greatest managers in baseball history and he will forever hold a place in the hearts of Rangers fans after bringing home the first World Series title in franchise history in 2023,” Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young said in a statement. “Boch brought class and respect to our club in his return to the dugout and we will always take pride in being part of his Hall of Fame career. We are grateful for everything he has given to the organization over the past few seasons and hopeful he can continue to impact the Rangers for many years to come.”

    Bochy’s three-year span with the Rangers began with the franchise’s only World Series title. His 249 wins with the Rangers rank sixth in club history. 

    Bochy has a career record of 2,251-2,264 over his 28 seasons, with those wins ranking sixth among all managers — the five ahead of him are all in the Hall of Fame. No managers in the past 60 years have more than Bochy’s four World Series titles, and the only ones all-time with more are Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel and Connie Mack.

    S.E. Jenkins

    S.E. Jenkins is a digital content producer for CBS Texas. She has also been a Digital Content Producer in Tallahassee and Myrtle Beach. S.E. graduated with journalism degrees from Texas State University, Aarhus Universitet and City, University of London.

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  • Jarren Duran’s 2-run HR gives AL a 5-3 win over NL in All-Star Game started by rookie pitcher Skenes

    Jarren Duran’s 2-run HR gives AL a 5-3 win over NL in All-Star Game started by rookie pitcher Skenes

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    By STEPHEN HAWKINS

    ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Speedy Jarren Duran describes himself as a player who keeps his head down, works hard and never thinks of himself as being better than anybody else.

    Duran turned some heads in his first All-Star Game, hitting a tiebreaking two-run homer for the American League and being awarded the MVP trophy named after Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams.

    “That’s an honor. Who else would I want to try to follow in the footsteps of besides a guy like that, who is not just a great baseball player but a great human being,” Duran said after becoming the fifth Red Sox player selected All-Star Game MVP. “That guy was awesome, and I’m honored to be able to have his award.”

    The decisive homer came in the fifth inning Tuesday night as the AL beat the National League 5-3 for its 10th win in the past 11 All-Star Games.

    Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes pitched a hitless first for the NL, twice hitting 100 mph, and Shohei Ohtani also went deep in Texas with a three-run homer for a 3-0 lead in the third.

    Juan Soto hit a two-run double and scored on David Fry’s single to tie the score in the AL third, and Duran went deep off Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene.

    “It’s a surreal moment. So I’m just thankful to be here,” said Duran, who was one of 39 first-time All-Stars this year.

    Oakland right-hander Mason Miller got the win after throwing a 103.6 mph pitch, the fastest in the All-Star Game since tracking began in 2008. Hard-throwing Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase struck out two in the ninth for the save.

    The 22-year-old Skenes, who has pitched only 11 big league games since being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last July, became the first rookie starter since 1995 and had the fewest games played for any player to make an All-Star team. The right-hander threw a hitless first, with a two-out walk to Soto before his Yankees teammate Aaron Judge grounded into a forceout on the next pitch.

    Skenes threw 11 of 16 pitches for strikes, with seven fastballs up to 100.1 mph.

    “Frankly, I wish I’d had a few more pitches to do that today,” said Skenes, who has a good mix of pitches to go with the hard stuff. “It’s cool to bring eyes to the game.”

    Ohtani, who has gone deep 29 times in the first season of his record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, pulled a 400-foot drive to right off Tanner Houck. That came after the Boston right-hander allowed singles to the first two batters he faced: No. 9 batter Jurickson Profar and leadoff hitter Ketel Marte.

    “I haven’t really hit well in the All-Star Game, so I’m just relieved that I put the ball in play,” Ohtani said. “I just focused on having a regular at-bat as if I was in the regular season.”

    When Ohtani went against Miller in the fifth, he struck out on an 89.2 mph slider well inside and out of the strike zone. That was after twice taking strikes on fastballs of more than 100 mph.

    Ohtani’s first All-Star homer made him the first Dodgers player to go deep in the Midsummer Classic since Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza in 1996. Eleven days after his 30th birthday, Ohtani was an All-Star for the fourth time — his first with the NL.

    Baltimore’s Anthony Santander, after taking over for Soto in right field, had a two-out single in the fifth before Duran’s 413-foot homer to right-center after he had replaced Judge in center. Duran took a 95.9 mph fastball before going deep on an 86 mph splitter.

    “I knew he threw really hard so I was just praying he would throw me a first pitch fastball so I could see how hard it was. After that, I was hoping to get a pitch up,” Duran said. “He happened to leave a pitch up. I happened to put a good swing on it.”

    The last Red Sox player to be the All-Star MVP was J.D. Drew in 2008, following Pedro Martinez in 1999, Roger Clemens in 1986 and Carl Yastrzemski in 1970.

    Duran was voted by his peers as an All-Star after being the first AL player to go into the break with at least 100 hits, 10 triples, 10 homers and 20 stolen bases.

    The AL has a 48-44-2 record in the All-Star Game, and had won nine in a row before the National League’s 3-2 victory last year in Seattle.

    AL starter Corbin Burnes arrived in Texas the morning of the game after spending time at home with his newborn twin daughters. The Baltimore right-hander allowed a walk and then a two-out double to Bryce Harper before getting out of his inning on a comebacker by William Contreras, his catcher last season in Milwaukee.

    After his underhand toss of the ball to first base, Burnes had a big smile on his face when he kept jogging and wrapped his arm around Contreras on the baseline.

    Quick game

    Played in 2 hours, 28 minutes, it was the shortest All-Star Game since 1988, a game that the AL won 2-1 in Cincinnati that took only two minutes less.

    Won in both leagues

    Bruce Bochy of the host Rangers became the first manager to win World Series titles and All-Star Games in both leagues. Bochy is now 2-3 as an All-Star manager, leading the NL to a win in 2011. He won the World Series three times with the NL’s San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014, then led the Rangers to their first championship in his debut season with them last year.

    Up next

    The MLB regular series resumes Friday when 14 games are scheduled, with Milwaukee and Minnesota the only teams that won’t play until Saturday. Philadelphia (62-34) has the best record in the majors and Cleveland (58-37) has an AL-best .611 winning percentage, though Baltimore and the New York Yankees also have 58 wins.

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    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

    Originally Published:

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    The Associated Press

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  • Jacob deGrom sees Rangers’ vision for future, not past

    Jacob deGrom sees Rangers’ vision for future, not past

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    ARLINGTON, Texas — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom sees the vision of what the Texas Rangers want to do, not their streak of six consecutive losing seasons and being more than a decade removed from their only World Series appearances.

    “The Rangers did a great job with constant communication and making me feel like they really wanted me here,” deGrom said Thursday during his introduction in Texas. “The vision was the same, build something great, and win year in and year out.”

    DeGrom is the latest big-money add — on a $185 million, five-year deal — for the Rangers as they try to turn things around. They nabbed deGrom last Friday before baseball’s winter meetings had even started. After completing his physical and the contract in Texas, he was even able to make it home for a previously planned Christmas outing with his wife and two small children at Disney World, which is where he was when his signing with Texas was announced last week.

    The 34-year-old right-hander spent the first nine years of his career with the New York Mets, who won 101 games last season. His arrival comes an offseason after the Rangers made a pricey, long-time commitment to middle infielders Corey Seager ($325 million, 10 years) and Marcus Semien ($175 million, seven years) and then went 68-94.

    DeGrom said Seager and Semien played a significant role in his decision and that, while he had been in contact with the Mets, he was excited about Texas after his conversations with the Rangers — including new manager and three-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy, general manager Chris Young and owner Ray Davis.

    “They showed a ton of interest right at the start, and the feelings were mutual,” deGrom said. “I want to play this game for a long time and want to win.”

    Young said the addition of deGrom is a big step toward the Rangers’ goal of building a world championship organization, and the full expectation next season is to compete for a playoff spot.

    “I’m ecstatic. To win in our game, you need pitching,” said Bochy, who was sitting to deGrom’s left. “We couldn’t have a better guy to head up this rotation. We’ve added to the rotation. So don’t tell me we can’t win. … We’re a much better club right now than just a few weeks ago.”

    DeGrom joins a Rangers rotation that also includes Jon Gray, the right-hander whose $56 million, four-year deal last winter was overshadowed by Seager and Semien.

    All-Star left-hander Martín Pérez this offseason accepted a $19.65 million qualifying offer to stay with the Rangers, who also acquired former All-Star right-hander Jake Odorizzi from Atlanta in a trade last month. Left-hander Andrew Heaney agreed this week to a $25 million, two-year deal with Texas.

    Before having to miss the final three months of the 2021 season with right forearm tightness and a sprained elbow, deGrom had a career-low 1.08 ERA over 92 innings. He was then shut down late in spring training this year because of a stress reaction in his right scapula and didn’t make his first big-league start until Aug. 2.

    He went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts, then opted out of a $30.5 million deal for 2023 to become a free agent for the first time.

    “Last year’s was a weird injury, but finished the year strong and the goal’s to go out there and take the ball every fifth day for the Texas Rangers,” he said.

    Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister was one of the doctors who reviewed deGrom’s scapula last season since he had experience with that type of injury, but didn’t personally examine him. Meister told deGrom it would heal completely, and the pitcher said he felt great when he came back.

    He is now ready for another full season, after making only 38 starts the past three years.

    “The goal is to make 30-plus starts and I truly believe that I will be able to do that,” he said.

    DeGrom is 82-57 with 1,607 strikeouts in 1,326 innings in his career. He gets $30 million next year, $40 million in 2024 and 2025, $38 million in 2026 and $37 million in 2027. The deal includes a conditional option for 2028 with no guaranteed money.

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    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP

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  • Texas Rangers Lure Bruce Bochy Out Of Retirement To Manage 2023 Club

    Texas Rangers Lure Bruce Bochy Out Of Retirement To Manage 2023 Club

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    After winning three world championships as manager of the San Francisco Giants, Bruce Bochy probably punched his ticket to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

    But he came out of his self-imposed retirement Friday to accept what may be his greatest challenge: managing the Texas Rangers, a team that was never in contention in 2022.

    Bochy signed a three-year contract that carries through the 2025 season. Terms were not disclosed but his 25-year record with the Giants and San Diego Padres suggests he will be one of the most highly-paid managers in the game, with a salary stretching well into seven figures.

    For the Rangers, who fired manager Chris Woodward and president of baseball operations Jon Daniels after the team’s signing spree last winter paid few dividends, had not hired an experienced manager since Buck Showalter (now with the Mets) in 2002.

    Bochy, 67, was actually hired by one of his former pitchers. Chris Young, executive vice president and general manager for the Rangers, pitched for Bochy when both were together in San Diego.

    Bochy managed the Padres from 1995-2006 and the Giants from 2007-2019.

    “In his 25 years with San Diego and San Francisco, Bruce was one of the most successful and respected managers in Major League Baseball,” Young told reporters. “He’s a calm and steady presence, he has a remarkable ability to connect and communicate with players, coaches, and staff, and his teams have always played with maximum effort. His knowledge of the game, as well as his integrity, is unmatched.”

    Bochy won World Series with the Giants in 2010, 2012, and 2014. His career record is 951-975.

    The 1996 National League Manager of the Year spent the last three seasons as special advisor for the Giants but still hinted he’d like to end his three-year hiatus from the dugout. He managed Team France in the World Baseball Classic qualifier last month.

    “If I was going to return to managing, it had to be the right situation,” Bochy said in a statement. “I strongly believe that to be the case with the Rangers, and I can’t wait to get started.”

    The former catcher has a tough task ahead, especially since the Rangers occupy the same division as the Houston Astros, a team now playing in a record sixth consecutive American League Championship Series.

    The Rangers finished fourth in the five-time AL West last year, winning only 68 games after an enormous off-season spending spree in the free-agent market. The team spent more than $500 million to give multi-year contracts to veteran shortstops Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, assigning the latter to second base, and outfielder Cole Kalhoun, among others. But Semien started slowly and the pitching never matched the upgraded offense.

    Young cited Bochy’s communication skills, knowledge of the game, and integrity in explaining his decision to give the veteran pilot his first American League gig.

    “As we went through the interview process,” he explained, “Bruce’s passion and excitement about returning to the dugout was very evident.”

    Bochy now becomes the second oldest manager in the majors, behind only 73-year-old Dusty Baker of the Astros.

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    Dan Schlossberg, Contributor

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  • Rangers hire 3-time World Series champion Bochy as manager

    Rangers hire 3-time World Series champion Bochy as manager

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    The Texas Rangers have hired Bruce Bochy as their manager, bringing the three-time World Series champion with 2,003 career victories out of a short retirement to take over a team that has had six consecutive losing seasons.

    Texas made the surprising announcement Friday, just more than two weeks after its season ended. Bochy agreed to a three-year contract.

    The 67-year-old Bochy hasn’t managed since 2019, when he stepped away after 13 seasons and those World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants. The first championship came in five games over Texas in 2010, and the Giants won again in 2012 and 2014.

    Rangers general manager Chris Young was a pitcher for San Diego in 2006, which was Bochy’s final season with the Padres before going to San Francisco.

    “As we went through the interview process, Bruce’s passion and excitement about returning to the dugout was very evident,” Young said. “It became clear he was the ideal individual to lead our club as we continue to build a championship culture here in Arlington.”

    Bochy was 951-975 in 12 seasons with the Padres (1995-2006) and took them to the last World Series in 1998. The former big league catcher had a 1,052-1,054 record in San Francisco from 2007-19.

    The Rangers said they’d hold an introductory news conference on Monday. Bochy said in a statement he was excited to be joining the team after several days of extensive conversations with Young and a meeting with owner Ray Davis.

    “Their vision and commitment to putting together a club that can contend and win year in and year out is impressive, and I became convinced I wanted to be a part of that,” Bochy said. “If I was going to return to managing, it had to be the right situation. I strongly believe that to be the case with the Rangers, and I can’t wait to get started.”

    The Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Miami Marlins have the three remaining manager openings among the 30 teams.

    Fourth-year Rangers manager Chris Woodward was fired Aug. 15, two days before president of baseball operations Jon Daniels was also let go. Texas went on to finish 68-94, eight wins more than 2021 but what Young said after the season “was about half of our internal expectations.” They lost 35 one-run games, a franchise record.

    Texas was 17-31 under interim manager Tony Beasley, the longtime Rangers third base coach who was once Young’s manager in the minor leagues. Several young players got extended looks during that span, and the GM said in August that Beasley wouldn’t be judged solely on win-loss record. Beasley was interviewed for the job two days after the season ended.

    When speaking after the season, Young had declined to comment when asked specifically if the managerial search could proceed without knowing whether Bochy had interest in the job. But he acknowledged then how much he loved playing for Bochy and expressed his respect for the man he considers one of the most successful and respected managers in the major leagues.

    “With a calm and steady presence, he has a remarkable ability to connect and communicate with players, coaches, and staff, and his teams have always played with maximum effort,” Young said Friday. “His knowledge of the game, as well as his integrity is unmatched.”

    Texas last offseason committed a half-billion dollars to free-agent shortstop Corey Seager ($325 million, 10 years) and second baseman Marcus Semien ($175 million, seven years), and also signed right-hander Jon Gray ($56 million, four years) to be their No. 1 starter. Left-hander Martin Perez was an All-Star after returning on a one-year deal before spring training.

    While there were never any expectations that the Rangers would go from 102 losses in 2021 immediately to a title contender after that big spending spree, they never had a winning record at any point this season and peaked at 24-24 at the end of May. The six consecutive losing seasons are the most in the half-century since the franchise moved to Texas in 1972.

    Davis has indicated the team is ready to add to its starting rotation, and potentially sign a middle-of-the-lineup bat.

    “I don’t plan on spending as much money as we did last offseason,” he has said. “But we plan on spending some money.”

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    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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