For Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, it’s old hat. For players like Marcus Semien and Josh Sborz, it’s anything but.
All three were asked to contribute something to the Baseball Hall of Fame after the Rangers won the World Series on Wednesday.
Their contributions will be part of the Autumn Glory exhibit, which will be on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., through next postseason.
Bochy contributed his cap from Game 5 after becoming the sixth manager to win at least four World Series titles, but the first to do it with multiple teams. He won three with the San Francisco Giants. The hat has become his go-to contribution for three of the four titles. The other time it was his manager’s jacket.
“I don’t know why they always take my hat,” Bochy said. “I guess it’s a target with me because of my head.”
Bochy is known for the size of his head, which requires a hat that measures 8 1/8 inches. When he played for the Houston Astros, his nickname was “Headly.”
Semien provided his jersey and his elbow guard from Game 5.
“The night I wore that jersey I was able to hit a home run in the World Series,” Semien said, referring to his ninth-inning home run in the 5-0 victory. “So to have that in Cooperstown is pretty special.”
Sborz closed out Game 5 with 2 1/3 innings of relief and was on the mound for the final out. He donated his glove, the same one that he spiked into the ground when the final out was called.
He puts the initials of his children on his glove, but in this case giving up the mit wasn’t that big a deal. Sborz and his wife just had another child in September.
“I was going to have to get a new glove anyway,” Sborz said.
Other items contributed by the Rangers included:
Not only is Smith well-traveled, but the Rangers set a record with an 11-0 mark on the road during the postseason.
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