LOS ANGELES — Joe Panik wasn’t the only one hitting milestones on Friday night. With the 1-0 victory over the Dodgers, manager Bruce Bochy became the first visiting manager to win 100 games at Dodger Stadium.
Bochy, who has spent 24 years in the National League West, is the runaway leader for victories here by a visiting manager. Longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox is second with 68 victories. Bochy said he didn’t realize he had hit 100 until he got a text message after Friday’s game.
“That was news to me,” he said. “I don’t know what it means, except I’ve been able to do this a long time.”
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SIGN UP HERE Bochy is 49-54 at Dodger Stadium with the Giants and he was 51-43 here with the Padres. Asked if he has a favorite in those 100, he smiled. Sorry, Joe, it’s not Friday night’s game.
“The number one game here is from 1996, the last game of the year,” Bochy said. “(The Padres) finished a sweep here to win the division.”
—- Julian Fernandez, the hard-throwing Rule 5 draft pick, will have Tommy John surgery on Thursday. Fernandez felt pain while making his final appearance of the spring and two doctors confirmed the diagnosis.
The Giants cannot waive Fernandez and they can’t offer him back to the Rockies because he’s hurt, so they’ll oversee his rehab process. The good news is they get to keep a guy who throws 100 mph. The bad news is they’re on the hook for the MLB minimum salary ($545,000), and that could be a minor factor if they need to add at the deadline and they’re up against the tax.
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—- Jeff Samardzija threw 20 pitches off a bullpen mound Saturday afternoon and will have another session Tuesday. “He was letting it go pretty good,” Bochy said. “Samardzija could be in a rehab game by next weekend. It’s possible the Giants will need just one start from their No. 5 starter before Samardzija returns to the rotation.