Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Cole, Yankees hanging their heads after Wild Card loss; SF Giants avoided a huge concession stand strike for playoffs; plus much more

Losing pitcher of record Gerrit Cole delivers to the Boston Red Sox line up in the first inning during the ALWC game on Tue Oct 10, 2021 at Fenway Park in Boston (AP News photo)

On Headlines with Jessica:

#1 Jessica, You had a chance to see last night’s Wild Card game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox just how shocked was this good hitting potent team the Yankees that they only could manufacture just two runs in the 6-2 one and done loss to the Sox in Boston on Tuesday night.

#2 Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole was pulled he coughed up a Kyle Schwaber home run in the third inning. Cole said that he’s sick to his stomach over his poor outing going two innings, four hits, three runs, two walks and three strike outs.

#3 The San Francisco Giants are in the NL Division Series playoffs and will be hosting the series at Oracle Park in San Francisco which starts on Friday. What made a national story was Oracle park concessionaires Bon Appetit were planning to walk out at the beginning of the playoff meaning this Friday. That was averted when both labor and Bon Appetit management came to an agreement giving concession employees a $3 retroactive raise which covers this and the last two years, a $1.50 in hazard pay that also covered the last two years and increases that will total $7 an hour by 2024. The concession staff currently makes over $20.00 an hour.

#4 The Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving is still unclear whether he will take the Covid 19 vaccine but the pressure is on with opening day for the regular season around the corner. If Irving does not get vaccinated he will not be allowed to play any of the Nets home games at Barclay Center in Brooklyn until he does gets that first shot.

#5 Jessica, the San Diego Padres fired manager Jayce Tingler after he served two seasons with the Padres. The Padres at one time were within striking distance to get the second spot in the Wild Card standings but ended up not being able to seal the deal. Strong possibility to replace Tingler is former San Francisco Giant manager Bruce Bochy who led the Giants three World Series championships.

Join Jessica for Headline Sports every other Wednesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Bochy Says “One More Shot” as Manager

Photo credit: cbssports.com

By Amaury Pi-González

It should not be a surprise to anybody that Bruce Bochy might want to manage again. The future Hall of Fame manager who began his career as the San Diego Padres manager (1995-06) and continued as San Francisco Giants Manager (2007-19) seems to be leaning that way.

“I’d love to have one more shot,” Bochy said Thursday in an interview with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on SiriusXM.

Bochy can call his own shots when it comes to where he wants to manage. His reputation is impeccable — players love to play for him, they respect his knowledge and leadership. However, he might want to end his managerial career with a winning record. After those 25 years divided between the Padres and the Giants his record is 2,003 games won and 2,029 games lost for a .497 winning percentage.

Today, Bochy is #11 among the top managers with over 2,000 wins. However, of those 11, only two ended their careers with an under .500 winning percentage — Connie Mack and Bucky Harris. If Bochy doesn’t manage again, he will be the third among the top 11 managers win under .500 winning record.

The San Francisco Giants gave Bochy a great sendoff, where many of his players — past and present — spoke, where Bochy’s family was present, where he spoke in front of a sellout Oracle Park, and at that time, one would think that was it “no más” or “no more” for Bochy, but those people could be wrong.

Bochy wants to take a year off and then look at the possibilities available to him. Who is going to tell him otherwise? Last week, the Padres named Jayce Tingler, who was a Texas Rangers’ major league field coordinator, as their new field manager. The ex-Padres and ex-Giants manager lives in the San Diego area, and there were rumors that if he came back from “retirement,” it would be with his first team, the Padres. The only one that knows if Bochy is coming back to manage, is him, his wife, and his family; and I am sure he will make a good decision.

So, for those that have said “No,he is not coming back,” you better wait until the whole Bochy story is complete and his book is out.

Dodgers spoil Bochy’s going away party with a 9-0 shutout win

Photo credit: @Dodgers

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — On what was the last game of Bruce Bochys 25-year managerial career, it was not much of a game.

The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped a five spot in the first inning on their way to a 9-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants before a sellout of 41,909 at Oracle Park.

Dereck Rodriguez got the first out of the inning, but then the wheels fell off the wagon and Rodriguez, who gave up those five runs.

Max Muncy got the rally started, as he walked then A.J. Pollock and Cody Bellinger each singled and then Corey Seager cleared the bases with a double down the right field line. Will Smith then unloaded his 15th home run of the season and the game was pretty much over by then.

Rodriguez lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits, walking two and striking out two before giving way to Sam Selman.

The Giants as an offense could only three hits during the entire game, as Buster Posey singled in the bottom of the first inning and the Giants did not get a hit until Jaylin Davis singled in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mike Yastrzemski got the Giants last hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out.

On this day, the longtime rivalry between the Giants and the Dodgers was put aside, as Madison Bumgarner came out to pinch hit for Brandon Crawford in the bottom of the fifth inning and longtime rival Clayton Kershaw was on the mound in relief for the Dodgers.

In what could be his last at-bat as a Giant, Bumgarner was given a standing ovation by the sellout crowd.

Crawford told Bumgarner to hit a homer for him, but unfortunately there was no joy in San Francisco, as Bumgarner lined out to Jedd Gyorko for the final out.

After the line out to Gyorko, Bumgarner stood at the plate and admired the crowd one last time during the 2019 season.

In an act of total sportsmanship and respect, Kershaw then tipped his cap towards Bochy, who reciprocated in doing the same towards Kershaw.

He is a class act, said Posey about Kershaw.

Gavin Lux drove in the Dodgers sixth run of the game in the top of the seventh, as he walked with the bases loaded to score Matt Beaty.

The Dodgers added three runs in the top of the eighth inning to put the final touches on their team record 106th victory of the season.

UP NEXT: There will be a new manager in 2020 for the Giants when the team begins Spring Training in February.

MLB The Show Postseason 2019 podcast with Daniel Dullum: Taking a look at wild card matchups; Bochy gets ready for retirement; plus more

photo from the olympian.com: Oakland Athletics’ Ramon Laureano makes his way through the dugout after hitting a solo home run on a pitch from Seattle Mariners’ Marco Gonzales during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Seattle.

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Playoff pairings are almost set: A’s to host AL Wild Card vs. Tampa Bay

2 Giants hope to give Bochy a good sendoff against Dodgers

3 Verlander gets 3,000th K, Astros clinch home field; Mets’ Pete Alonso sets MLB rookie HR mark

4 Look for managerial changes in the next few days

5 After 72 seasons, Cubs play final game on WGN-9

The MLB The Show podcast with Daniel is heard every Sunday and through the postseason on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Harper, Phils call it a season, eliminated at Nats Park; Giants finish up their regular season; plus more

Photo credit: wtop.com

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 How ironic is it that last meeting between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies in Washington against the Nationals turned out to be a loss that mathematically eliminated the Phillies in Washington DC? The Nats fans found that to be poetic justice.

#2 The San Francisco Giants end their 2019 homestand and regular season this week as they opened a three-game series with Colorado. The Giants have some young prospects and veteran players who are looking to come back next season so everyone will play hard to the final game on Sunday.

#3 The Giants’ Bruce Bochy set to retire, Pablo Sandoval out with an injury for the rest of the season and Madison Bumgarner may not be back all have been a direct force in the Giants’ more successful days.

#4 The Oakland A’s are holding a 1/2 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL wild card race. The A’s are finishing up their regular season on the road against the Angels and Mariners. Can they pull it off?

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes, who won two out of their last seven games, faceoff against Philadelphia on Wednesday night, and on Friday, they host the Seattle Sounders. This is their best chance to put together a couple wins at home.

London does Headline Sports each Wednesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bochy, and possibly Bumgarner reach the end of the line with the Giants

Photo credit: redbirdrants.com

By Morris Phillips

Sunday’s season finale against the Dodgers will be manager Bruce Bochy’s last game as a Giant. Will it also be Madison Bumgarner’s last game as well?

The Giants are guaranteed to be interested in resigning their staff ace especially after he regained his form and health in 2019. But he won’t be their only priority, and the Giants won’t be Bumgarner’s only suitor. The price will have to be right for the soon-to-be 31-year old pitcher to return.

The Giants could find themselves intrigued by bigger ticket items like Gerrit Cole and J.D. Martinez if the slugger opts out of his deal with the Red Sox. One thing’s obvious: the Giants have multiple needs and targets commiserate with where they are coming off a third, consecutive losing season and where they want to be, running with the Dodgers and attempting to end their streak of NL West titles, now sitting on seven.

“It’s not so much, ‘Hey, do you have the money for Player X or the money for Player Y?’ Or, ‘How much does ownership want to spend?’ It’s more how does Farhan and the staff want to bake the cake?” club president Larry Baer said in a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Giants have upgrades in Kevin Pillar, Mike Yasztremski and Alex Dickerson.  Younger players Mauricio Dubon and Joey Bart could be ready for starting assignments at the major league level. But the organization is also hamstrung by the big contracts previously given to Brandon Belt, Buster Posey, Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto. Who to keep, who, if any, can be moved, and who to trust as centerpieces going forward are among the questions GM Farhan Zaidi and his staff must answer.

Those won’t be easy answers to obtain. And once Zaidi hones in on the personnel decisions, will they also address the issues the current team has had winning at Oracle Park. Other than Pillar, most of the Giants’ offensive performers have fared far better on the road than at home.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants finish season with winning road record; Webb has good pitching performance

photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco Giants’ Logan Webb pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in Atlanta.

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 The Giants avoided getting swept by the Atlanta Braves in Cobb County Sunday with a 4-1 win. The Giants added two runs in the top of the sixth. Joey Rickard doubled on a line drive to Nick Markakis. Both Evan Longoria and Kevin Pillar scored on the play. San Francisco snatched a 3-0 lead.

#2 The Giants’ away record was better than their home record away they were 42-39 and home 33-42. The bulk of the Giants’ road success came after the July 31st trade deadline and in August when they hit a speed bump and lost momentum.

#3 For San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, it was his final road game managing.  Bochy notched his 2,000 win of his career when the Giants were in Boston prior to coming to play the Braves.

#4 One of the biggest highlights on the trip was the home run hit by Mike Yastrzemski in Boston Tuesday night, which drew a standing ovation from the Boston crowd — kind of like their own homage indirectly for Mike’s grandfather Carl.

#5 The Giants conclude the 2019 season at Oracle Park on the homestand. The Giants will open against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night for three games and finish the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers for three starting on Friday night. Starting for Colorado, Jeff Hoffman (2-6, 2.71 ERA), and for the Giants, Madison Bumgarner (9-9, 3.86 ERA).

Morris did the Giants podcasts each Monday during the 2019 Giants season and will begin Cal Bears podcasting next Monday, September 30th at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Excitement builds, Yastrzemski scheduled to play all 3 games at Fenway Park

photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski scores after hitting a solo home run during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019, in Phoenix. It was Yastrzemski’s third home run of the game. It was Yastrzemski’s third home run of the game.

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Whose got to be more excited about Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski playing at Fenway Park? Starting on Tuesday night, Yastrzemski, his grandfather former Boston Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski or our very own MLB analyst Bill Gould?

#2 On Sunday against the Miami Marlins, Yastrzemski scored on a diving head first slide to score one of the Giants’ two runs, which was enough to get by the Marlins 2-1. Yaz is having a rookie season hitting .265, 56 runs, 87 hits, and 51 RBIs.

#3 Giants starter Johnny Cueto pitched five innings of shutout ball and gave up three hits in the win. The Giants had five pitchers come into relieve after Cueto left and they combined to hold off the Marlins to just one run.

#4 This is kind of a special series besides of the reunion of grandfather and grandson Yastrzemski. The Giants, who do not play at Fenway except for every three years. This is a special place for them to return to since it doesn’t happen often to come to a historical place like Fenway.

#5 This will be Giants manager Bruce Bochy’s last road trip as manager. The Giants conclude their 2019 road schedule in Boston and then to Atlanta. Pablo Sandoval, who was a Red Sox but not on this trip, wouldn’t quite expect the same reception Yaz will.

Morris Phillips does the Giants podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Jerry Feitelberg for Michael Duca: Pillar’s bat helps Giants in month of August; Dickerson back in the lineup; plus more

Photo credit: jweekly.com

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Jerry for Michael:

#1 Kevin Pillar has had a good month of August for the Giants, hitting .255, 115 hits, 15 homers and 63 RBIs. He has been clutch. How impressed is Jerry about Pillar?

#2 How important is it to have Alex Dickerson back in the lineup? He suffered an oblique strain and is doing a reduced workout now.

#3 How impactful is it that Pablo Sandoval being out of the line up with the inflamed right elbow and how much will they miss Pablo being around as he will be out at least 10 days on the injured list? Sandoval was hitting .269, 14 home runs and 41 RBIs before the injury.

#4 Manager Bruce Bochy said he wasn’t sure how long Sandoval will be out, but the team will have to see how Sandoval responds to treatment.

#5 The Giants are in Arizona for a four-game series with the Diamondbacks. It’s an important series just being 4.5 out of first place for the NL wild card.

Jerry is filling in for Michael Duca catch Michael who does the Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Yastrzemski goes 4-for-5 in Giants win 7-6; Final game at Petco for Bochy

sfgate.com photo: San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski scores on a Solano Donavon single the top of the fourth at Petco Park in San Diego on Sunday

By Jeremy Kahn

In what was Bruce Bochy’s final game at Petco Park, the San Francisco Giants gave their manager a nice going away present.

Mike Yastrzemski picked up his second four-hit game of the season, while Madison Bumgarner went seven innings and the Giants hung on to defeat the San Diego Padres 7-6 at Petco Park.

Yastrzemski singled twice and doubled twice, as the Giants improved to 13-4 since the All-Star break.

Bumgarner scattered four hits in seven innings, and his only mistake was a three-run home run to Hunter Renfroe in the bottom of the third inning that gave the Padres a 4-2 lead.

He also struck out six and walked two in his final start before the July 31 trade deadline.

On the afternoon, the Giants picked up 16 hits against Padres pitching, as they won their seventh game in the past eight against the Padres, five of those seven wins came at Petco Park. The Giants swept the Padres in a three-game series from July 1-3.

Renfroe, who hit the three-run home run that gave the Padres a two-run lead in the bottom of the third inning, drove in four runs; however, it was not enough, as the Padres are now 4-11 since the All-Star break and have fallen into fourth place in the National League West.

It was the second four hit of Yastrzemskis career and his second in the last 13 days, as he picked up four hits against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 25.

Buster Posey picked up three hits on the afternoon, which included an RBI double in the top of the ninth inning.

The Giants tied up the game in the top of the fourth inning, as Poway native Alex Dickerson singled to right field to score Donovan Solano, who cut the Padres lead down to 4-3 two batters before Dickerson tied it up. Solanos single scored Yastrzemski, who doubled to left-center field with one out in the inning.

Will Smith gave up a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to Wil Myers in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Luis Urias to end the game and pick up his 26th save of the season.

NOTES: With this being Bochy’s last game at Petco Park, the manager stayed at the team hotel on Saturday night instead of his Poway home.

“A lot of people were going to ask me, what’s it going to be like coming to the ballpark, going down memory lane, whatever,” Bochy said. “That’s the first time I’ve walked from the Marriott, so it was not like I went down memory lane on that one.”

Nick Vincent was reinstated from his rehab assignment, also reinstated from the 60-day disabled list and then designated for assignment.

UP NEXT: After an off-day on Monday, the Giants begin a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park and Tyler Beede will take the mound in the opener.