Bruce Bochy managed the San Francisco Giants on opening day for the final time on Friday afternoon.
The Giants fans in attendance made sure the moment didn’t pass without tribute, serenading the future Hall of Fame manager with an extended standing ovation when his name was announced by PA announcer Renel Brooks-Moon.
The #SFGiants manager Bruce Bochy received an incredible standing ovation as he walked onto the field for his final #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/9qvTZinzQn
— Ryan McGeary (@RM_Geary) April 5, 2019
Normally a picture of stoicism, Bochy couldn’t help but feel the emotions of the moment.
“Just really emotional,” Bochy said in his postgame presser. “And that’s overwhelming and something I’ll never forget, so I thank them. That’s a really special moment. I had a lot of family here. So I really appreciate what they did, it blew me away to be honest. It was really overwhelming.”
The standing ovation was just one moment in a uniquely emotional pregame ceremony at Oracle Park, that also included tributes to late legends Peter Magowan and Willie McCovey.
“We had a tough year with the passing of Peter, Willie, and so many others,” Bochy said. “I don’t want to leave anybody out, there’s a lot of tributes up there. There’s so much history to this franchise and you see a lot of it today. It was really, I thought, a special ceremony for those guys too, and I really appreciate what they’ve done for us.
“Peter Magowan had a lot to do with me coming up here and I’m going to miss him.”