A World Series has just eluded Buck Showalter multiple times in the past.
The season after the Yankees fired him in replacement of Joe Torre, the team won their first title since 1978, and went on to win three more in the next four years.
The season after the Diamondbacks let him go, they stunned Torre’s Yanks in the World Series in one of the most memorable Fall Classics of all time.
Six years later, Showalter was let go by the Rangers, and within three years, Texas was beginning back-to-back trips to the World Series.
Now, Showalter will have another chance to reach baseball’s promised land, this time with the Mets, but he insists that a ring isn’t his sole focus.
“It sounds selfish to say that’s the only reason, and this is an avenue to it,” Showalter said at his introductory press conference on Tuesday. “I don’t look at it like that. I look at it as the end game, if you can stay involved in the day-to-day operations, and the end game is everyone is successful as a result of it.”
Of course, winning a World Series is at the top of Mets fans’ wish lists, as the franchise hasn’t experienced baseball’s pinnacle in 35 years. Showalter understands those expectations, especially after guiding the Yankees back to the playoffs and experiencing the demand of getting back to the Fall Classic after an extended absence.
“I understand the job description,” Showalter said. “The job description here isn't to be competitive or try to win more games than you lose. It's to be the last team standing. That’s the focus. How do we get better every day?”
Showalter’s path towards completing what he started with multiple other teams will begin as soon as the lockout is over, and while winning a World Series isn’t his sole desire, even after coming oh-so close, it’s high on his list.
“Steve [Cohen] and Billy [Eppler] asked me why I would want to do this again, and that’s the quick answer: to be the last team standing, not once,” Showalter said. “Obviously it’s gonna be very hard to do…it’s 30 teams, so that’s what makes it much more gratifying if you could reach it.”
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