Bruce Bochy went from retirement to the World Series. His journey has Space Coast roots

Bruce Bochy was already famous in baseball. He won three World Series rings as manager of the San Francisco Giants. He has a fantastic Southern drawl. He has maybe the biggest head in Major League Baseball history.

And now the Melbourne High School and Eastern Florida State College grad has added another chapter to his Hall of Fame resume: He's returned from retirement and led the Texas Rangers to their first World Series championship.

The 68-year-old retired in 2019 with the 11th-most wins in MLB history. But the Rangers brought him in before this season, and the EFSC alum guided the Rangers to a remarkable turnaround. After going 68-94 in 2022, Texas skyrocketed to 90-72 and into the playoffs. After sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles, the teams with the best records in the American League, the Rangers beat the defending champion Houston Astros in seven games, sending legendary manager Dusty Baker into retirement and advancing to the World Series for the first time since 2011.

Bochy's Rangers finished off the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, November 1, in the World Series, winning 4 games to 1. Bochy became the fifth manager to lead two separate teams to World Series titles and the third to lead three teams to the Fall Classic, beginning with the San Diego Padres in 1998.

Bochy has already been recognized for his career accomplishments in Brevard County. He was elected to the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2013, and the EFSC baseball team plays at Bruce Bochy Field. His place in Cooperstown at the Baseball Hall of Fame is all but set in stone: It's just a matter of how many World Series titles will go on his plaque.

Here's a few things to know about the Melbourne native:

Where was Bruce Bochy born?

Bruce Bochy was born April 16, 1955 in Landes de Bussac, a commune in southwestern France about midway between Bordeaux and Limoges. His father was stationed at an Army base there, and the family moved around a lot while Bruce and his three siblings were growing up.

Before taking the reins with the Rangers, Bochy managed Team France in 2020 and 2022 as they played for qualification in the World Baseball Classic.

How good was Bruce Bochy as a baseball player?

Bruce Bochy went to Melbourne High School and played catcher at Brevard Community College, now Eastern Florida State College, in 1974 and 1975. Bochy won the Florida state championship with the Titans in 1975 and was named an All-American.

The Houston Astros took Bochy in the first round of the secondary phase of the 1975 MLB Draft and made his major-league debut in 1978. A career backup catcher, Bochy spent nine seasons between the Astros, New York Mets and San Diego Padres, hitting .239 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI. He played in the 1984 World Series with the Padres, singling in his only at-bat against the Detroit Tigers.

What teams did Bruce Bochy manage?

Bochy got his first managerial job in 1995 with the San Diego Padres, the team he played for from 1983-87. He stayed in San Diego until 2006, after which he moved to Northern California to skipper the San Francisco Giants. Bochy managed the Giants from 2007 until 2019, when he retired after winning three World Series.

Before the 2023 season, the Texas Rangers brought Bochy out of retirement to become their manager.

What years did Bruce Bochy win the World Series?

Bochy has won the World Series four times as manager. His San Francisco Giants won in 2010 over the Texas Rangers (4 games to 1), in 2012 over the Detroit Tigers (4-0) and in 2014 over the Kansas City Royals (4-3).

When his Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 in the 2023 World Series, Bochy became the third manager to skipper World Series champs in both the National and American leagues, joining Sparky Anderson (1975-76 Cincinnati Reds and 1984 Detroit Tigers) and Tony LaRussa (1989 Oakland Athletics and 2006 and 2011 St. Louis Cardinals).

He also managed the San Diego Padres to the 1998 World Series, where they lost 4-0 to the New York Yankees.

Who has the biggest head in baseball? It's probably Bruce Bochy

One of the goofiest stories that has followed Bruce Bochy throughout his baseball career is the size of his head.

His cap size is either 8 1/8 or 8 1/4, depending on who you ask. For reference, the official MLB shop does not sell caps in sizes larger than 8.

Fortunately, Bochy has a good sense of humor about it. "I'd bring my helmet with me (after being traded), and my new team had to spray paint it with their colors because they didn't have a helmet that would fit me," he told ESPN's Tim Kurkjian.

"When I played, they'd have accused me of using steroids, as big as my head is," he told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2007.

Did Bruce Bochy ever win Manager of the Year?

Bruce Bochy won the NL Manager of the Year award in 1996 with the San Diego Padres, edging Felipe Alou of the Montreal Expos and Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bochy's Padres went 91-71 that season, his second in San Diego. It was a marked improvement from the 70-74 strike-shortened 1995 campaign. With MVP Ken Caminiti, Tony Gwynn and Steve Finley leading the offense and Trevor Hoffman anchoring the bullpen, they made the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history, though they were swept in the Division Series by the Cardinals.

Two years later, Bochy would lead the Pads to their second-ever World Series.

How many wins does Bruce Bochy have as a manager?

In 26 years as an MLB manager, Bruce Bochy has a regular-season record of 2,093-2,101. The overall record may not look impressive, but his 2,093 wins are 10th most in MLB history. He is one of just 12 managers with 2,000 career wins.

In the postseason, counting the 2023 World Series, Bochy's teams are 54-25.

How many World Series rings does Bruce Bochy have?

Bruce Bochy has four World Series rings, three with the San Francisco Giants and one with the Texas Rangers.

Who is the oldest MLB manager?

At 68 years old, Bruce Bochy is the second-oldest manager in MLB this season. The oldest is 74-year-old Dusty Baker, whose Houston Astros lost to Bochy's Rangers in the ALCS. Baker announced Wednesday he is retiring, though, so unless another septuagenarian gets hired in the offseason, Bochy will be the oldest skipper in baseball in 2024.

How tall is Bruce Bochy?

Bruce Bochy is 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds.

Where does Bruce Bochy live now?

Bruce Bochy was living in Nashville when the Rangers brought him back to the clubhouse before this season.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Bruce Bochy, Texas Rangers World Series manager, has Florida roots