

Stan Szeto | 2019 Jun 30

It took 25 days for Bruce Bochy to announce this retirement might not stick.

Less than a month after the farewell tour culminated, 25 years of managing (13 with the Giants) crescendoing with scores of former players, World Series winners, very public figures and loners alike coming to Oracle Park for their beloved manager’s emotional goodbye, Bochy is dipping his toe back into the water before he dries off.

All season, he was asked if he could say for certain that he was finished presiding over a major league team. His stock response became, “I’m good,” and he frequently couched it by saying he would see how he feels.

Already, it appears he’s feeling that he misses baseball.

“I’m just hitting the pause button, that’s all,” Bochy said on Sirius XM on Thursday. “Taking a little sabbatical here for a year. Then I’ll see where I’m at. I don’t know how I’m going to feel, but I’d love to have one more shot.”

There were eight manager vacancies this offseason — a sizable number — and the ideal job for Bochy, nearby his home with the Padres, was filled earlier in the day, when San Diego reportedly tabbed Jayce Tingler. It will be interesting to see which jobs will be available, as next offseason’s market now has three World Series rings looming over it.