Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Bruce Bochy’s vacation from managing may not last long.
The newly minted 2,000-win manager, speaking before the Giants finished up their historic series in Boston on Thursday, hinted he may be interested in steering the ship for the French national team at the World Baseball Classic.
Asked on KNBR’s “Murph & Mac” about the moment he’s often cited as his favorite — giving the ball to his son, Brett, becoming the first father to bring in his son as a reliever in a major league game — Bochy suggested another moment may be on tap.
“Could happen again. I’ve kidded about this, about managing the French team in the WBC,” said Bochy, who, after Thursday, will have eight more games as Giants skipper. “I don’t know if I’ll do it. If I did, it would be to have some fun. There’s a little tournament in Tuscon, it’s a qualifying tournament — my son could play in it, my brother could be involved, too. I gotta stay busy here. I said if I ever got out, I’d probably manage a Little League team or something.”
Bochy met with a delegation representing French baseball in June, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, as the group was trying to pin him down to be its manager for the WBC. It sounds as if Bochy is not opposed.
Rob Manfred has confirmed that the WBC will be in 2021, with qualifying likely for 2020. Bochy, born in Landes de Bussac, is the only MLB manager ever born in France.