The glory of baseball

Texas 5, Arizona 0

I don't know if it happened to you too, but there was a moment in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night when I was convinced that the D-Backs were not going to sign another comeback. Yes, as often happens to any of us while enjoying baseball, sometimes there are inexplicable sensations that we cannot avoid.

The definitive success of the Rangers, after so long, was one of them. So, I delved into memories of seasons past as Arizona left nearly a dozen runners on base unanswered before the overflow crowd of 48,511 fans at home. And, although the reality of the present was completely different from the Rangers' sinuous record in the playoffs, I wanted to make sense of everything it means to be so close to stroking baseball glory.

In the 2011 World Series, the Rangers, managed by Ron Washington, twice came within one strike of winning their first title in franchise history. They had a first opportunity at the end of the ninth, when the Dominican closer, Neftalí Feliz, put David Freese on a 1-2 count. And then, you know: Freese hit a fly ball to deep right field, Nelson Cruz didn't time the ball well enough, and what could have been the final out turned into an RBI triple. The Cardinals tied the score, 7-7.

In the next inning, the situation repeated itself, after Josh Hamilton put the Rangers ahead with a two-run home run against Cardinals closer Jason Motte. With a runner on second and two outs, Scott Feldman intentionally walked Albert Pujols, who was playing his last season in St. Louis. Five pitches later, Lance Berkman hit a line single to center field and tied the game against Scott Feldman. Then, Jake Westbrook dominated the Rangers in the top of the eleventh inning, and David Freese led off the bottom of the eleventh with a home run off Mark Lowe's sixth pitch.

The next day at Busch Stadium III, with an inspiring double by David Freese and a solid quality start from veteran right-hander Chris Carpenter (4-0), the Cardinals won the World Series title after beating the Rangers 6-2 in Game 7. In an instant, I was invaded by those memories of the great Fall Classic of 2011, which I enjoyed with my dear friend Kiki, an experienced Japanese translator and a fervent follower of, of course: Ichiro Suzuki!

Seeing Bruce Bochy calmly, with his right elbow resting on the dugout railing, and that unwavering confidence that characterizes him, everything seemed like a matter of time. Yes, “time”, the same word that could define the long journey of the Rangers and the timely process that ended with the return of Bruce Bochy to the bench to once again manage a Major League team.

Without knowing what his future would be, part of the key to the Rangers' success began with this question: “Which team will Bruce Bochy go to?” was a familiar reflection in baseball after the legendary manager announced his retirement at finish the 2019 season with the San Francisco Giants, his 13th at the helm of the team which he led to three World Series titles in 2010 (precisely against the Rangers), 2012 and 2014.

The long cycle of 13 seasons and 2,016 games (2007-2019) as manager of the Giants ended with three consecutive years in which the team played below .500. After the 2014 World Series title, the Giants appeared only once more in the postseason over the final five years under Bochy. With the renovation of San Francisco's front office, many things would change in the future, and that was one of the main reasons that led the veteran manager to announce his retirement at 63 years old. Although Bochy was never given the spotlight, the announcement of his retirement inevitably impacted the entire organization.

Bochy said, “he hoped to contribute to the Giants in another capacity besides being a loving presence for his two young grandchildren.” However, he left a small possibility open when asked if he would ever consider managing another club.

“It's never a big word,” Bochy said. “It's a long time, isn't it? He would never say never. You never know what awaits you. What I'm thinking about now is that I will retire as a manager here this year. And so it's not something I'm thinking about. So I'll leave it at that. I hope to have one more chance,” he continued. “Trust me”.

During the next three seasons, Bochy stayed close to baseball, but he did not make the news again until October of last year when the Texas Rangers gave him a three-year contract with the idea of ​​solidifying his future projections.

What we know since then is that, as expected, the legendary manager became one of the most influential pieces in the definitive takeoff of the Rangers, who were on the verge of leading the American League West Division for the first time since 2016.