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The long wait is finally over. Baseball is officially back, and no one is more excited than Murph & Mac about the return of America’s pastime. In the spirit of the season, the boys welcomed on legendary Giants manager Bruce Bochy to give his final thoughts on the team before the season gets going, as well as how special this last season will be for him.
There were a lot of last-minute moves made by the Giants at the end of this spring to add depth to the ball club, and Bochy gave his thoughts on how new arrivals Connor Joe and Michael Reed can make an impact for the team.
“We picked up a couple of young outfielders, and they’re going to play today,” Bochy said of Joe and Reed. “We’re going to find out soon exactly what we have with Connor Joe and Michael Reed. Connor will be out in left field today and Reed will be out in right.”
Bochy also commented on what the talking heads have to say about his team. He, along with the rest of the fanbase, is tired of what the so called experts are predicting for the Giants.
“The pundits, the experts; they don’t have a lot of good things to say about us,” Bochy said. “They’re not predicting us to do anything. In fact, a lot of them are predicting us to come in last place. We have a lot of pride, especially our core guys, but they’re saying we’re old, that our window has passed us by.
“What’s important is not what’s expected by these so-called experts, but what we expect out of ourselves, and that should be a motivator for us. The vibe has been good, and trust me, they’ve heard it. Now it’s time for us to go out and do it.”
Finally, when asked what it’s like to see Bumgarner throwing to Posey yet again on another opening day, the baseball tactician remarked on the journey that has been managing this ballclub for 12 years.
“I’ve had a great ride wth these guys,” Bochy said, “and for them to still be here, that means a lot to me. I go back to a spring training game where we played the Royals, and we put our whole infield out there when Bum was pitching, and it brought back some great memories. It’s cool to reflect back and think of the great times we’ve had together, and now we’re trying to make some new memories and hopefully make a lot of noise this year.
“I know these guys want to show that they have a lot of baseball left, so that’s our plan this year… I like it when we’re an underdog. I think we’ve proven we play our best ball when that happens.”
To hear the entirety of this interview, listen below: