“It’s been an incredible journey. I’ve obviously grown up here in so many different ways. It’s the only organization I know,” Bichette said before Game 6 against the Dodgers. “But I’m not really looking at the past. I’ve got some pretty important stuff ahead of me right now.”
Bichette sprained a ligament in his left knee on Sept. 6 and didn’t return until Game 1 of the World Series. He came out of that game after six innings and played off the bench in Game 2. Bichette returned to the lineup in Game 3.
It’s evident that Bichette is taking a chance at further injuring his knee, but he made the decision to play.
“It’s the World Series, so none of that stuff really matters, to be honest,” he said. “I’ll put it all out there for this. So there was no tough decisions in it.
“I had a lot of people telling me to take care of myself, for sure. I even I had that mindset a little bit. But to have an opportunity to play in this series is — I mean, this is a no-brainer.”
The Jays weren’t sure Bichette would be able to return for any postseason games, but he made enough progress to force the issue. The expectation is he will not need surgery after the season.
“I just got to a point where I was healthy enough to do it, and I’m super grateful that everybody believed in me to be able to come out here and produce,” Bichette said. “I’m just enjoying every minute of it.”
Bichette played only 81 games last season, twice straining his right calf then breaking his right middle finger.
He had an .840 OPS over 139 games this season. His 63 extra-base hits and 94 RBIs were further proof of the improvements he made under new Jays hitting coach David Popkins.
After battling injuries late in the regular season, Toronto infielder Bo Bichette is thankful for all the support and treatment he received to get him back healthy and in the Blue Jays lineup for the World Series. Ashley Landis/Associated Press
Bichette improved both how often he made contact and the quality of that contact. That was the case for much of the roster as the Jays led the majors in on-base percentage (.333) and had the lowest strikeout rate (17.8 percent).
Toronto also showed more of an up-the-middle and opposite-field approach as opposed to being focused on pulling the ball.
“I know [Popkins] gets praise, but he probably doesn’t get enough,” Bichette said. “The energy he brings every day is second to none.”
Bichette has been exclusively a shortstop during his major league career. But three of his five starts in the Series have come at second base. That a product of the knee injury and the Jays preferring to keep Andrés Giménez at shortstop.
Bichette can still play shortstop but some teams might prefer him at second base. The Red Sox could be one of those teams.
A righthanded hitter who makes consistent contact and can hit for power would be an idea fit for the Sox. Bichette’s experience in the AL East is a bonus.
And lest we forget, Bichette’s parents met across the street from Fenway Park in 1991. His mom, Mariana, was a BU student who was working at the old Gold’s Gym on Lansdowne St. when Brewers outfielder Dante Bichette came for a workout.
Dante Bichette played parts of 14 seasons in the major leagues, the last two with the Red Sox from 2000-01 under Jimy Williams. He hit 274 career homers and will happily recount the time he visited Ted Williams and sat in his kitchen talking hitting for a few hours.
But the closest Dante Bichette got to the World Series was losing a Division Series against the Braves in 1995 when he played for the Rockies.
“My dad never had an opportunity to play in a World Series,” Bo Bichette said. “Your whole career everybody’s telling you don’t take winning for granted. But you have to learn that for yourself.
“There’s been a lot of times where I thought we would win and we didn’t. So to be here and to learn from past seasons, it’s special to be here. It’s something I’ll never take for granted.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.
