"The Curse of the Bambino" have pointed out the letters "BRUCE HURST" can be re-arranged as "B RUTH CURSE". With his mother Beth having died in December 2003 on the eve of the Red Sox World Series win in 2004, Hurst was quoted saying years later, "I'm pretty sure, knowing my mom, that she would have gone up and put her arm around Babe and said, 'Let's get this over with.'" In , Hurst and Jim Lefebvre coached China to a bronze medal at the 23rd Asian Baseball Championship, which was the first time ever that China had defeated one of the "Big Three" Asian teams (Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei). In , Hurst and Lefebvre also led the Chinese team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, where they were eliminated in the first round of competition in the Asian bracket, which also featured eventual tournament champion Japan, as well as Korea and Chinese Taipei. In the Asian Baseball Championship in 2012 and World Baseball Classic in 2013, alongside manager John McLaren, Hurst also coached Team China. Hurst returned to the Boston Red Sox during spring training in 2008 as a pitching instructor. On February 26, 2008, Hurst was named as Special Assistant for Player Development with the Red Sox. During a 2019 Pawtucket Red Sox Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Clemens, the former pitcher credited Hurst for giving him the nickname "Rocketman" during their playing days. In 2015, Hurst described Clemens as "the greatest teammate ever" in an interview with a Boston Globe columnist. Personal life Hurst met spouse Holly in 1979 during offseason studies at the Dixie College predecessor to Dixie State University in St. George. The couple married the year he graduated in 1981 and parented four children. Hurst was inducted into Dixie State's athletic hall of fame in 2011, and the school's baseball field is named for him. In 1999, Bruce and Holly Hurst moved to Gilbert, Arizona. Throughout his career, Hurst identified himself as a Mormon. References External links Bruce Hurst at Baseball Library American League All-Stars Boston Red Sox players Colorado Rockies players San Diego Padres players Texas Rangers players Major League Baseball pitchers 1958 births Living people People from St. George, Utah Baseball players from Utah Elmira Pioneers players Winter Haven Red Sox players Bristol Red Sox players Pawtucket Red Sox players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Colorado