Managers Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker have a lot in common. They both won the World Series, surpassed 2,000 career wins and are surely headed to Cooperstown. The former has helped the reloaded Texas Rangers immediately fulfill their potential, while the latter stabilized a Houston Astros team mired in negativity and scandal. When the American League Championship Series begins this weekend, it might be hard to spot the differences between these two old-school, widely respected skippers.

They exist, though. In fact, Bochy explained the biggest contrast between him and Baker. And it extends far past their managerial careers.

“He was a good hitter,” Bochy said of his opponent, per MLB.com's Kennedi Landry. With the stakes high in this in-state battle for AL glory, some lightheartedness is good to see. Though, the Rangers' leader is not merely being self-deprecating. He speaks the truth.

Before managing the San Francisco Giants to an incredible three titles in five years, Bochy played in the MLB for nearly a decade. He was a journeyman who hit .232 in 358 career games, despite being selected in the first round by the Astros in the 1975 amateur draft.

Baker, on the other hand, batted .278 with 242 home runs, was a two-time All-Star and won a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981. He retired in 1986 after 19 years in The Show. There is no need to drag up the past, though. Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker are both titans of the game, whose impact will be felt long after they leave baseball for good.

With so much focus being on analytics these days, it is refreshing to see the ALCS be contested by two skippers who played when “Laverne & Shirley” was the number one television show in America. The Rangers visit the Astros for Game 1 this Saturday night at approximately 8:15 p.m. ET.