What is Bochy's secret? Rangers weigh in

ARLINGTON -- Marcus Semien was a sophomore at the University of California in Berkeley when Bruce Bochy won his first World Series with the Giants in 2010. It was the last World Series Semien would watch as a fan of the game before being drafted the following year, and the first of three for Bochy in San Francisco.

This postseason, Semien has gotten a front-row seat to Bochy’s managerial magic as he’s led the Rangers to their third World Series appearance and the fifth of the skipper’s career. Bochy’s reputation precedes him -- especially in the postseason -- but he’s brought a winning culture and calming hand to an organization in desperate need of it after six straight losing seasons.

Bochy is brilliant in his decision making, but he also knows how to get the best out of his players on a daily basis.

“He keeps it loose, wants us to have fun,” Semien said. “He wants us to stay fresh. He doesn't want to grind, grind, grind, grind throughout the regular season as much because he understands that we want to play in the World Series and play further down the road. For me, a guy who plays every single day, it took me a little while to understand when we maybe didn't have BP that day or show up a little later that day. This was the reason why, because he wants us to be fresh.”

After sweeps of the Rays and Orioles in the Wild Card Series and ALDS, respectively, and a seven-game victory over the Astros in the ALCS, Bochy’s legendary career has only continued to grow.

The ALCS was the 16th round Bochy has won in the postseason, tying Tony La Russa for the second-most postseason rounds won among managers. Joe Torre’s 19 leads the pack. He has 13 managerial wins in a postseason game when facing elimination, and is 6-0 in winner-take-all games.

Now, as he heads to the World Series with the Rangers, Bochy becomes the seventh manager to reach the LCS with at least three franchises, but he’s the first to win an LCS with three franchises -- Padres (1998), Giants (2010, ‘12, ‘14) and Rangers.

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Following the Game 7 win over the Astros, Max Scherzer said he was “a good soldier,” and he trusts Bochy’s intuition. That doesn’t change in the regular season versus the postseason.

“He's a calming presence,” Scherzer added on Wednesday. “That's what this team needs. That's what this team feeds off of. That's when guys fall in the roles and play their best. He pushes the right buttons. He understands what guys need, and that's why he’s such a good manager.”

Bochy declines to take any of the credit for those accomplishments though, pointing to the players and coaches around him for assisting in everything he’s done up to this point.

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“You see the numbers, it's up to the players,” Bochy said. “That's never going to stop in this game. What these guys are doing, they're doing it on their own. I will talk about these coaches. What a great job they do. Working to have them prepared. They're relentless in the effort they put in, the hours they put in.

“Mike Maddux and Brett Hayes on the pitching side. On the hitting side, Donnie Ecker and Tim Hyers. They just do a great job. Once the game starts, yeah, I have to make a decision, but it doesn't happen without the players and those guys going out there doing their job.”

Whether the Rangers lift the trophy in two weeks or not, Bochy has shown he’s one of the best postseason managers in baseball history. And whether Bochy wants to take credit for it or not, his players feel the same.

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“Obviously his urgency is there when situations call for it,” said backup catcher/DH Mitch Garver. “We've had a few times over the year where we're in a tough spot in the first or second inning and he goes out and makes a pitching change. You can tell the urgency is there, especially right now. If we're in a tough spot, he's gonna make a move to what he feels like is best for the team. Every game he plays to win.”