It was 2019. French baseball, usually low-key, woke up one morning to an announcement that seemed straight out of a dream. Bruce Bochy — yes, the Bruce Bochy, MLB legend and three-time World Series winner with the San Francisco Giants — was set to become coach of the French national team for the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. An earthquake in the Hexagon.
After the initial disbelief, there was a buzz: journalists, fans, clubs — everyone wanted in. Interviews followed, articles flourished, and social media lit up. One of them, Scott Stevenson, an American who had been living in France for years, immediately sensed something unique was happening. A video editor by profession, he lived baseball daily through his son, a player in Montigny and Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He decided to grab his camera: this adventure had to be documented.
« I was in the United States, » he recalls. « I scraped together just enough to be there, on the morning of the first practice in Arizona, on March 2, 2020. I started filming just as everything was getting underway over there. »
Around Bochy, the players were living a dream come true. Meeting a global baseball legend, discussing strategy, sharing the field with a man who had reached the pinnacle — it was an unforgettable experience. They all said it: they would give everything for that blue jersey with the rooster emblem.
At the Federation, Didier Seminet, then president, remembers: it all started with a meeting… over a bottle of Bordeaux. Because Bochy, before becoming an American baseball icon, was born in Bussac-Forêt, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The project then took on its full meaning. Just as he was about to enjoy a quiet retirement (we later learned that retirement wasn’t in the cards, as he even added another MLB title with the Rangers), the idea of reconnecting with his roots appealed to him.
But the story took a sudden turn. COVID crashed the party. Lockdowns, restrictions, canceled competitions: the dream came to an abrupt halt. The disappointment was immense. Yet Scott didn’t give up.
Then came the tournament at last. Scott was back in action:
« I had a month’s notice, » he explains. « Everything had to be put on hold, we had to find a team, equipment, and rush to the scene to capture the moment. We followed Bochy on the road, from his birthplace in Bussac-Forêt to Toulouse, then off to Regensburg, Germany, for the competition. »
« I had very little budget, » he confides. « It was all makeshift, but the determination to see it through was stronger. With my English producer and a small crew, we kept going between Toulouse and Germany. Then Bochy left, but the story had to be told. »
The documentary finally saw the light of day. Bochy and the Blues — 77 minutes of pure emotion. It captures the players’ awestruck expressions, the wild hopes of qualifying, and that infectious energy of an entire sport starting to believe. No miracles on the field, but a collective dream that awakened French baseball.
The premiere took place in Clermont-Ferrand last September, at the initiative of the Avernes club. Others will follow: the Federation wants to bring this film to life in clubs, schools, and associations everywhere the heart of French baseball beats.
Because at the end of the day, more than just a sports story, « Bochy and the Blues » is the story of a meeting, a dream made possible, and a passion that refuses to die.
