The Los Angeles Dodgers snapped a two-game losing streak with their 5-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, trimming the magic number to clinch a seventh consecutive National League West title to just two.
The series finale also marked the end of an era, as Giants manager Bruce Bochy was on the bench at Dodger Stadium one last time before he officially retires at the end of the season.
Wrapping up his 13th and final campaign in San Francisco, the future Hall-of-Famer has been a mainstay of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry ever since being hired prior to the 2007 season.
Previously holding the same position with the San Diego Padres for 12 seasons, Bochy spent the entirety of his 25-year managerial career in the National League West. As a result, he has become quite familiar with facing the Dodgers over the past two-plus decades.
Bochy owns a 107-108 lifetime record at Dodger Stadium, which makes him the most winningest visiting manager in the history of the ballpark. He additionally boasts an overall 220-205 record against L.A. in regular season play.
The 64-year-old spoke on his many matchups with the Dodgers and noted that he will cherish the competitive nature of the rivalry, per Doug Padilla of the Associated Press:
“I have been fortunate to be able to experience all these (Dodgers-Giants) games,” Bochy said. “We played a lot of close games over the years. That’s how we play each other.”
Staying true to tradition, each of the first two games between the Dodgers and Giants over the weekend were decided by one run. While L.A. was ultimately on the losing side in both contests, they at least salvaged the series with a convincing win on Sunday.
Prior to Friday’s opener, the Dodgers honored Bochy in a pregame ceremony. Manager Dave Roberts presented his counterpart with an autographed Sandy Koufax jersey.
Bochy and Roberts’ relationships extends well beyond their managerial careers. Roberts played for Bochy in separate stints with the Padres (2005-06) and Giants (2007-08).
Roberts even extended Bochy an opportunity to be a part of his coaching staff for the 2019 All-Star Game, although the latter respectfully declined.
The Dodgers and Giants will meet once more this season at Oracle Park for a three-game series from Sept. 27-29. It represents L.A.’s final tuneup before embarking on what they hope is another deep postseason run.
