SAN FRANCISCO -- When the Giants visited Petco Park last week, four fans sat behind the visiting dugout in custom t-shirts displaying a clear message: "THANK YOU, BOCHY."
The Padres, Bochy's team before he joined the Giants, have not yet done anything significant to honor their former player and manager, but they do have time. The Giants visit San Diego again later this month.
Some other teams have, though, and as Bochy makes one final lap of the National League, he has been greeted with a constant stream of former players, coaches, media members, scouts and others who just want to stop by the manager's office and wish him well.
Bochy is already on the back nine of his final season, and last week he said the first half gave him appreciation for all aspects of the game.
"You know, I have a deeper appreciation for just coming to the ballpark, hanging around the players, the staff, the game itself," Bochy said. "You see things winding down, you do savor and appreciate it more."
The Giants are 41-48 in the final first half for Bochy, and they need 33 wins to get him to 2,000 for his career. That would be a nice way to go out, but regardless, Bochy is going out with plenty of love. At several stops, he has been given gifts (it certainly has stood out when teams don't even mention it's his final series in a city), and he has joked about all the alcohol that has been delivered to his office this season.
"Yeah, I think they've been watching how things have been going (for the team)," Bochy cracked last month. "I certainly will enjoy it. It looks like I have a problem, but I don't, trust me."
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Here's the known haul so far:
--- Cincinnati Reds: They hosted the Giants in early May and were the first team to acknowledge Bochy with a pre-game tribute. Reds manager David Bell, a former Giants player and front office employee, gave Bochy custom wine glasses, a wine carafe, and a custom-made bourbon ice chest from a local company.
The Reds salute @SFGiants manager Bruce Bochy on an outstanding managerial career and wish him the absolute best in whatever is next! pic.twitter.com/pfJPyCJBdF— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 6, 2019
"That was pretty special," Bochy told the Mercury News. "When I was a young kid my dad was a Reds fan, which made me a Reds fan, so that was pretty cool."
--- Miami Marlins: Longtime Giants reliever Sergio Romo visited the clubhouse when the team was in Miami and gave Bochy a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila.
"I gave him a token of appreciation for the faith and trust that he had in me for all those years," Romo told MLB.com. "I feel I can count the amount of people that have taken a chance on me in my life on two hands, and he's on that. He's one of those fingers."
Derek Jeter, now the Marlins' CEO, also visited Bochy privately and gave him a going-away gift.
[RELATED: Bochy hoping for better second half]
--- Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles gave Bochy engraved Sagamore Spirit Rye bottles and glasses. Their manager, Brandon Hyde, is from Santa Rosa and met with Bochy for a pre-game ceremony on the field. Hyde told Orioles beat writers that the moment was awesome for him.
"He's somebody I truly admire," Hyde said. "He's a Hall-of-Fame level manager that has done a lot of great things in this game. Really cool to be on the same field as him, and I think he appreciated it. It's the least we could do."
