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His nickname of "Dusty" began when his mother began calling him that because he often played in the dirt as a child. "All my life, in my family, that's all I've ever been called is Dusty," Baker said.
He is also known as "Bake" to players, coaches and a few friends. ''My nickname in L.A. was 'The Hard Bake.' You don't get the hard rep because you're soft," Dusty said.
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When Dusty was a little boy, his father, Johnnie Baker, was a civilian worker for the Air Force in the defense industry by day and a salesman at Sears by night. Before the Sears job, he was a handyman, putting roofs on houses, mowing lawns, etc.
Dusty's mother was a college professor. Even when he was a youngster, he had early lessons about being in charge.
"A lot of it comes from being the oldest of five and being in charge, with both parents working," Baker said of his childhood. "I was captain of the teams I was on and a head guy in my platoon in the Marines. I was around some great guys."
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In the billowy mountains surrounding Sacramento, California, a young Johnnie B. Baker, Jr. and his father hunted pheasant, wild pig, ducks, and deer.
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Dusty loves to tell stories to illustrate a point. He remembers when he was 10 years old, he killed a blackbird in his backyard with a slingshot. When he brought the bird inside to show his father, he was surprised by the vehemence of the response.
"You hunt for the meat, not the sport," Johnnie Baker, Sr. told him. "You never kill just to kill." His Dad made him pluck the bird at the kitchen sink, feather by feather. "I thought for sure he was going to make me cook it and eat it," Dusty says. "But he didn't." Dusty's point with the story: "You motivate players by convincing them they are playing for the meat, not the kill. You convince them they need to play hard to survive."
- One of Baker's favorite things to do is to go pheasant hunting.
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The Baker family relocated three times in California as Baker grew up, but he found little difficulty in re-assimilating. Whether the neighborhood was largely black, a generous mix of blacks and Latinos, or all white, race made little difference—remarkable in the mid-1960s when racial tensions in America had peaked to a crescendo.
Dusty was one of only two African-American students in an all-white school district in the mid-60s,
- Dusty played Little League baseball with Bobby Bonds, the father of career home run champion Barry Bonds.
- Dusty's mother, Christine, was a strong influence on him. She chose his subjects for high school: algebra, geometry, speech and Spanish. And five years of piano lessons were necessary. "I wanted to be Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis," Baker recalled. "She wanted me to be Liberace."
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In 1966 and 1967, Dusty was a broad-jumper at Del Campo High School in Carmichael, California. He also starred in baseball, basketball, and football. He was named in the Top 100 list of football players in the history of Sacramento Prep players. His junior year at Del Campo High, Baker and his siblings were the only black students at the school.
"I was a wide receiver and defensive back. Speed and moves were my thing. I loved football a lot. Still do," Baker said, recalling his days at Del Campo High.
Interestingly, Dusty also made the Sacramento Bee's Top 100 in basketball, but not in baseball.
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His parents got divorced during his senior year of high school, and he felt obligated to earn a living to help support the family. So, the four-sport star was upset after his father—whose heart was set on Dusty continuing his education—shooed away most interested teams. Thus, Baker lasted until the 25th round of the draft.
"My Daddy told teams not to draft me, told them not to waste their time." So Baker and his mother signed without his father's permission, and the family ended up in court. A judge appointed the state to watch over Baker's earnings and some of the money was invested in the stock market.
Baker didn't speak to his father for three years.
- From 1969 to 1975, Baker was a United States Marine. He says they showed him the true meaning of teamwork. He also learned there are good people from all walks of life, regardless of class, creed or color.
- He grew up as a Dodger fan.
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Dusty's first minor league roommate had plenty of first-hand experience in dealing with racism in the Deep South. Not only was Ralph Garr four years older than Baker, he was a product of Louisiana and a graduate of Grambling University. With Garr leading the way, Dusty was able to maneuver the maze of new mores he faced.
"He was just so strong-headed," Garr, now a scout with the Braves, recalled. "I remember one incident in Shreveport, Louisiana, at a concert. There were some pretty ol' white girls out there, and he was running into their face talking to them. I told him: 'Take your time. You can't go too fast.' He said, 'Man, what are you talking about. Those girls like me.' So he was talking to them, and the next thing I knew the police had rammed him to the wall, butting his head against that brick," Garr said. "They let him go when they found out who he was. He came back saying: 'Ralph, I see what you're talking about.'"
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One time, as an increasingly militant 19-year-old in the Braves organization, Baker considered becoming a Muslim and changing his name to Dusty X. One telephone call to his father changed his mind.
Forced to live in a seedy motel during spring training because apartment owners wouldn't rent to a young black man, Baker was chastised by the Braves when his pass list at the gate consisted of pimps, prostitutes, and pushers. "They're my neighbors," Baker explained.
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Drug rumors surrounded Dusty's release from the Dodgers in January 1984, but nothing was ever substantiated. The stories haunted Baker during the twilight of his playing career.
"I finally didn't want to have anything to do with baseball," Dusty said. "It still hurts sometimes, but I have to go on with the rest of my life because being bitter eats you up like a cancer. It was brutal. My whole world crashed down. It's like everyone treated you with a hands-off situation, like you had leprosy. I try not to hold grudges, but I definitely remember."
- Baker then spent time as an investment broker before agreeing to become the Giants' hitting instructor. "My father said I couldn't waste the knowledge that was given to me from guys like Jim Gilliam, Clete Boyer, Pete Rose and Hank Aaron. They took me under their wings, life-wise and baseball-wise. What good is knowledge if you're going to split with it?" Baker said.
- Dusty was in the on-deck circle when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run off Al Downing. When someone asked Baker if he was knocked down by Downing when he came to the plate, Dusty answered, "Why buzz me? I didn't hit the home run. Al Downing wasn't called Gentleman Al for nothing. It wasn't like some slouch hit the home run."
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Baker recalls losing his temper when he was a young player with Cubs.
"Everybody, when they're young, has a temper," Dusty said. "I've seen guys throw their helmet on the ground and it bounces back up and hits them in the face.
"I remember one time I threw my helmet and Hank Aaron put his hand on the back of my neck and said he never wanted to see me do that again. I said, 'OK, if you'll take your hand off my neck.' He said, 'It's not the helmet's fault. Pick the helmet up and put it where it belongs, go over and sit down and figure out how you're going to get him the next time.'"
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Baker was 15 years old when his family moved to Sacramento, and he and a brother were the only black students at the school. Dusty says one of the students, Dennis Kludt, had been giving him the eye all day long. "At the end of football practice I went over to him and said, 'Hey man, you looking for trouble?' I was ready to thump. But he wasn't looking for trouble. He was looking for a partner and he liked my style," Baker recalled.
Although white, Kludt felt as out-of-place as anyone, because he had previously attended a predominantly black school. The pair eventually formed a friendship, and Kludt dined with the Baker family almost daily.
- Of Dusty's fine career as a player and manager, Dennis Kludt says, "I know Dusty has a strong belief in God. And I believe God has blessed Dusty with situations in life—and certainly talent. I don't have any doubts he's been given his talent to manage people and deal with the stress of top-level management. He always had a maturity that players looked up to and coaches respected. He had a quality that moved the situations he was in to a higher level. There's no doubt he's been blessed."
- Of racial prejudice, Dusty says, "I'll never get over being a black manager, especially as long as I get some of the racial mail I get. I will never get over it, just like I will never get over being a black man."
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Baker recalled that as a young baseball player in the late 1960s during the Vietnam conflict, he spent some time in the reserves. The Braves management suggested he should join the Marines or the National Guard.
"I knew I didn't want to join the National Guard," Dusty says, "because they were being sent into all the cities. I would have been shooting at my own brothers, and I couldn't do that." So Baker joined the Marines.
Almost immediately, he was asked to appear at baseball clinics for young blacks—and then ask them to join the Marines. "In return, they said I could do my two-week camp in the winter and that way I wouldn't miss any ball." However, Baker didn't think the recruiting would be right. "I didn't see too many brothers with any rank." So he declined. Dusty was ordered to summer reserve duty, where he was put to work digging ditches in Georgia. "But all that did was make me stronger because I was always taught to stand by your convictions."
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Dusty's wife, Melissa, got information on Dusty before she married him.
"She asked my Dad for a couple tips on how to get along with me for the rest of our lives," Dusty Baker said. "My Dad said, 'After he loses, leave him alone for an hour and he'll be all right. If you hassle him in that hour, he'll snap. Second thing, on a full moon, don't let him out of the house because he doesn't know when to come home.' I said, 'Thanks a lot, Dad.'"
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Dusty married wife Melissa on November 27, 1994. He has a daughter, Natosha, born September 29, 1979, from a previous marriage. And Dusty and Melissa celebrated the birth of another child, son Darren John, in February 1999, when Dusty became father of a newborn at age 49. The Baker family lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dusty's first wife died in February 2004. He attended her funeral on Valentine's Day.
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In November 2002, it was reported that Baker owes more than $1 million in back taxes and penalties because of some bad investments he made in the early 1980s. Baker's Oakland-based tax attorney, Karen Hawkins, said that Baker invested in four tax shelters on the advice of his brother.
- When Dusty was an 18-year-old and trying out with the Braves at Dodger Stadium, outfielder Felipe Alou let him use his bat. It seems that Baker's mother kept the bat all these years and gave it to him in December 2002 as a Christmas present. Early in 2003 spring training, Dusty had Alou sign that very bat. "Pick it up and then go pick up somebody else's bat,'' Baker said, proud of its heft. "It's a big old sucker. I didn't even remember he gave it to me, but she keeps everything. I'll keep it for my son.''
- Baker is comfortable in his own skin and neither pretentious nor inhibited about sharing his value system. You like him because he is real and not afraid to address any subject.
''Food and music are basically the most diverse things people do,'' Baker said one day. ''Some people don't like Mexicans, but they eat tacos. Some people don't like Germans, but they eat knockwurst. A lot of people don't like Jews, but there are a lot of non-Jews in the deli. Everybody eats everybody else's food.''
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Before a Cubs/Mets game, Dusty was talking about how close he and Don Baylor (then the Mets' bench coach) are.
"Actually, his first wife picked out my first wife's engagement ring,'' Baker said, before adding with a laugh about the subsequent divorces from both women. "Neither one of our marriages worked very good.''
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Dusty said he is normally his good-natured self. But sometimes his temper gets the best of him.
''Sometimes I have to fight that thug feeling, you know what I mean?'' Baker said. ''That thug feeling was brought out in high school sometimes, when I was the only black kid in the high school. Sometimes the thug feeling came up when I was in the Marines. Sometimes it came up when I was in the South. Sometimes it comes up with your former wife. You have to suppress it.
''There was one time I was getting hard-hearted. My sister, who was a missionary in South America, told me I could get hard-hearted sometimes. As nice as I am on one side, I'm just as thuggish on the other side. Most of the time it's been provoked, when somebody else lights that pilot light. Hopefully, you can let it slide and let God do his work, because like the Lord says, evil will be exposed.''
MOTORCYCLES
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Dusty bought a Harley Davidson motorcycle before 1998 spring training. "I always wanted one," he said.
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Dusty really loves to ride his motorcycle.
"It's an Indian. I got it in 2000. They're made in Gilroy, California, which is about 30 miles from my house," Baker said. "I went to the plant and picked it out. With Bob Marley (late reggae artist and cyclist) being one of my heroes, I was going to do something I've always wanted to do."
Enscribed on Dusty's motorcycle seat are the words BAKER MON.
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Baker believes in "the law of believing," that is, what you believe, you will receive. It is a Biblical principle. "I remember back in my days with the Dodgers, with Tommy Lasorda, and he genuinely believed and he would always tell us, 'You've got to believe it,'" Baker said. "I remember when I was going for my 30th home run on the last day of the season and I had come back to the dugout and I said, 'I don't think I'm going to do it,' and I said it too loud because (Lasorda) heard it.
"He went into this long dissertation about the children of Israel standing by the Red Sea," Baker said, "and they didn't believe and those that didn't believe fled and perished and those who stayed, waited for the Lord to deliver them and the sea parted. And before he was finished, I was like, 'OK, Tommy, I believe.'
"The next at-bat, I went up against J.R. Richard, my nemesis, and the ball came at me and stopped and I hit it over the center-field fence."
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“I genuinely believe,” Baker said. “When you’ve been through a lot of situations where there was a necessity to believe and faith was really what you were going on, and the more times you deliver and the more times you come through, the easier it is to believe.”
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Baker has a German short-haired pointer named Bailey. "She's my hunting partner," Dusty said of his dog. "My wife says she's my girlfriend. My dog really does not care about wins and losses. She loves me no matter what."
Dusty's wife, Melissa, picked out Bailey. She is the first female dog he ever had. "It was a great choice," the manager said. "I don't know if I will ever have a male dog again after having this little sweetheart dog. I've hunted with guys with mostly male dogs, and they fight all the time. (Females) are more obedient. When she's in the house, which is rare, it's easier to train her. I think (female dogs) are sweeter. They're like women."
Ordinarily, Bailey sleeps outside. But on a hunting trip, she is allowed inside to escape the cold. She's still not allowed on the bed, but that doesn't mean she doesn't wind up there. "She'll creep up with her head," Dusty said. "And then, in the middle of the night, when I'm sleeping, the next thing I know, she'll pop her butt up on the bed. And the next thing I know, I'll wake up, and she's trying to share the pillow with me." (Marci Shear-Vine Line-March 2004)
MEDIA CONSUMPTION
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Dusty doesn't read about himself or his team. But he stays informed. ''When I said I don't read newspapers, I don't read local sports. I read local everything else.
''I get my information from USA Today, which is more of a true opinion and evaluation nationally. In the local stuff, you're either the best or the worst. I never listen to talk-show radio, but I do listen to the BBC [British Broadcasting Corp.]. I like that BBC," he said.
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Baker, on his TV-watching habits, which include baseball and other sports, but not reality shows: "People call it scoreboard watching. I call it baseball watching. Certain nights I root against this team, certain nights I root for this team. I root for whoever can help us.
"I don't watch movies all that much. I watch black-and-white movies, CNN, the news, any kind of history channel, any kind of outdoor channel and sports. I pay for football, I pay for basketball," Dusty said.
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Dusty copes with the challenges life always offers as if it were an all-you-can-experience buffet. He likes to go fishing and hunting. And he likes to read, and read, and read. "The Art of War" here, Joe Black's autobiography there, "How to Deal with Resistance in the Workplace" on that bookshelf, and a history of film and TV in the 1940s on that bookstand.
"I try not to be one-dimensional, because it's boring," Baker says. "It's like when I was a kid growing up, it was boring to play just one sport. It's easy to put too much emphasis on your work. When something goes wrong, your whole life turns upside-down. So many businessmen put 80 percent into their work, and when they turn 55 or 60 and the company forces them out, they get depressed. I'm trying to keep a balance in my life. I'm not even close, but I'm trying."
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Dusty sees that his players eat well. The manager will bring in food to the clubhouse, such as his latest catch from a day of fishing, or Moises Alou will provide some Dominican items or someone else will have Chinese food delivered. It's part of Baker's master plan.
"You bring in food to keep them strong. We're in a fast-food society. Everybody's used to eating hamburgers from Little League to all the way up in high school and McDonald's and Arby's. You need nutrition." (Carrie Muskat-MLB.com-9/23/04)
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Baker keeps a vial of holy water in his desk. When he was a player, teammate Manny Mota would go to church to get some and share it.
"It's about as close to holy medicine as you can get," Baker said.
The manager, who is not Catholic, said he applies it "to people who hurt." Among the players he's used it on is Prior. "It's not like some voodoo," Baker said. "It's blessed. I hope my sins don't negate the effectiveness of the water."
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Dusty and third base coach Chris Speier have a unique connection. They are uncles-in-law. Baker's nephew is married to Speier's niece.
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Baker's wife, Melissa, says her favorite team was the Reds.
"It's weird. She's from San Francisco, but she liked Johnny Bench and the Big Red Machine," Dusty said.
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Dusty is almost always seen with a toothpick in his mouth in the dugout during games. They are mint-flavored Australian chewing sticks, and he uses them to reduce his consumption of chewing tobacco, but not always. "If the game gets tight, I end up doing both," Baker said.
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On May 7, 2013, Baker managed career win No. 1,600.
That put Baker all alone in 18th place on the all-time wins list, passing Dodgers great Tommy Lasorda.
"That was one of the best victories I can remember out of the 1,600," Baker said. "It might be the top one. It's quite an honor to pass my old skipper, Tom Lasorda, too. I tied Tom Lasorda against my old club, the Cubs. I passed him with my original club, the Braves. That was probably the best victory I could imagine."
Baker, 63, began his big league managerial career in 1993. His career record was 1,600-1,446 on 5/07/13. A few days later, Dusty passed Hall of Famer Fred Clarke, who has 1,602 wins.
Ten of the managers ahead of Baker on the list are in the Hall of Fame. And three others—Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre—rank in the top five in wins.
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After Dusty retired from playing in 1986, the last of his 19 big league seasons, he became a stockbroker. He quickly realized that the career wasn't for him. He was also going through a divorce and pondering a move from Southern California, closer to his native Northern California.
By then, more than a decade had passed since Frank Robinson had become MLB's first African-American manager, but progress on that front had been slow. Former Dodgers GM Al Campanis unwittingly provided a spark on the April 6, 1987 edition of ABC's "Nightline" with his controversial observations that black men "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager or, perhaps, a general manager.
That created, in Baker's view, the "right place at the right time," but it wasn't there yet. At loose ends, he heeded his father's suggestion to take a retreat to Big Bear Lake for some prayer and reflection. Dusty had no sooner settled in at Big Bear Lake than Giants owner Bob Lurie turned up.
"He said, 'Hey Dusty, you need to join us,'" Baker recalled. "I asked him many times he'd been here. He said it was his first time. I said it was my first time, too.
"I called my dad and asked him if he thought it was a sign. He said, 'You evidently don't want to see it because even when you got to the mountain, the sign was standing behind you.'"
Baker joined the Giants as the first base Coach for the 1988 season.
"I said give me five years and if I'm in the same position, I'll move on to something else," Baker said. "Five years to the day, I started managing. That's how I started managing." (Mark Schmetzer-Reds Report-June, 2013)
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It was the summer of 1987, a dark period in Dusty's life. His stellar playing career had ended, and he was in the process of divorcing his first wife. Baker had just ventured into a new world as a stockbroker—right as the market was about to crash.
"I was at a crossroads in my life," Baker said. "I didn't know where I was headed or what I was going to do."
At that point, Al Rosen, general manager of the Giants at the time, came into Baker's life. Rosen became a driving force in turning Baker into one of baseball's most successful managers—and a happily married man, as a bonus. Baker had just visited his father's Northern California grave site over the weekend, laying down roses Johnnie B. Baker Sr. loved, when word arrived that "Mr. Rosen," as Baker called his mentor, had died on March 13, 2015, at 91.
"Mr. Rosen was tough and straightforward, and he helped turn around my career and my life," Baker said from his home in the Sacramento area. "I always called him on his birthday—he was a leap year baby [born Feb. 29, 1924]. He was in a hospital, and his wife got on the phone and told me he'd taken a fall."
Baker's mind began racing back to that time when Rosen, without his knowledge, basically charted a course that would lead Baker to 1,671 wins as a Major League manager for the Giants, Cubs, and Reds. And 12 of the 15 men ahead of him in wins are in the Hall of Fame.
It began when Rosen, having made Baker aware of his interest in him through emissary Bob Kennedy, hired Baker as a Giants coach for $45,000 in 1988. When Baker questioned his salary, Rosen said, "Buddy boy, you've got it backward. The better work you do, you might get paid."
Baker was promoted to hitting coach the following season and was in that role when Giants owner Bob Lurie turned the struggling franchise over to a group headed by Peter Magowan. Rosen, and manager Roger Craig were on their way out, but Rosen gave Baker a tip.
"Mr. Rosen told me I was being considered for the manager job," Baker recalled. "He said, 'When they interview you, don't screw it up by telling them how smart you are.' I said, 'I've got to tell them something,' and he said to just be cool. I think he knew I was going to get it if I didn't blow it."
Baker didn't blow it. His first Giants team, in 1993, won 103 games—more than any of the three recent World Series champions—but it didn't make the postseason. The Braves won 104, and there were no Wild Cards then.
Rosen's interest in Baker extended to his personal life. "He wasn't ever shy about telling you what he thought," Baker said, laughing. "He always brought up Melissa, my girl at the time. He'd met her a number of times. He said, 'Dusty, you can't do any better; you should marry that girl.'
"I had natural doubts about marrying a second time. He was the first one to tell me that; my dad said the same thing a little later. Mr. Rosen was always looking out for me." Dusty and Melissa married, and their son, Darren, fills up their lives these days as Baker involves himself in various post-baseball enterprises and activities.
Rosen was one of the greatest third basemen in history, his career cut short by injuries at 32. His 1953 season with the Indians—when he was a unanimous American League Most Valuable Player Award winner—was perhaps the best ever by a man at his position. Rosen led the league in homers (43), RBIs (145), runs (115), slugging (.613), OPS (1.034), and OPS plus (180). He hit .336, losing the Triple Crown on the final day of the season with Mickey Vernon batting .337. Rosen played every game and was considered an elite defender.
"He would confuse me at times," Baker said. "He would get upset after an ugly win and feel good after we'd played well in a tough loss. He taught me the difference between getting beat and losing. I took that into my managerial career. If your team played well and lost, he said, that's when you come in with support.
"All through my career as a manager, the people I would call for advice were Al Rosen, Al Attles, Bill Walsh and Hank Aaron. You knew you were getting the straight-up truth from those men. Mr. Rosen was good to you if he liked you; if he didn't, you knew it.
"He was tough. Being a Jewish player at that time, he had to be. He had been a boxer. In Cleveland, all the ladies called him 'Flip.' He was a good man, one who can't be replaced." (Spencer - mlb.com - 3/17/15)
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Brandon Phillips said he considers Dusty a father figure and called him the best manager he ever played for. The two worked together from 2008 to 2013 and went to the postseason three times, when Baker was the skipper in Cincinnati. Under Baker, Phillips was a three-time All-Star. Phillips also pointed out that the Reds were not a good team before Baker's arrival in 2008.
"[Baker] is like my second pops," Phillips said. "He is down to earth. He is a realist. The thing that makes him successful is, he is honest with his players. He really believes in his own technique. Regardless of what other people think, he decides his own fate.
"He believes in his coaching staff, he believes in his players. He will call you in the office and he'll say, 'If you can't do your job, I'll find somebody else to do it.' When you are a player and you hear somebody say that to you, it makes you step up your game or you could fold. But the thing is, you have to respect how he approaches you, because he is real down to earth. He is a realist." (Ladson - MLB.com - 4/28/16)
HIRED BY THE ASTROS
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Jan 30, 2020: He talked about listening to B.B. King, the Rolling Stones and the rapper Too Short. He dropped the names of Tommy Lasorda, Bill Russell, Bill Walsh, and his “old partner,” Enos Cabell. And he discussed pruning grape vines and checking his dog for ticks back home. Dusty Baker even trotted out a few lines of Spanish, with a tad bit of hesitation.
Baker, while getting introduced to the Houston media at a press conference at Minute Maid Park, won over the room with his easygoing personality and good nature. That, along with his solid track record as a winner in his 22 years as a big league manager, are the reasons Astros owner Jim Crane selected the 70-year-old to succeed AJ Hinch as the club’s skipper.
“He’s the best person to lead this team to a championship,” Crane said. “His goal is our goal.”
Baker made a positive first impression for the Astros, but now comes the hard part. The Astros are turning to the steady Baker to calm the waters of a team in turmoil. The sign-stealing scandal that led to the dismissals of Hinch and president of baseball operations and general manager Jeff Luhnow have sullied the Astros’ reputation as a franchise on the field. The hiring of Baker is the first step in turning that around.
“We have to go forward,” Baker said. “We can’t go backwards. We’ve got to go forward and make sure that it doesn’t happen again. It’s certainly not going to happen on my watch here.”
Baker inherits a club coming off a 107-win season that was eight outs away from winning the World Series. The Astros lost in seven games to the Nationals—Baker’s former team—but are again considered favorites to win the AL West. Baker has a realistic shot at becoming the first manager in history to take five teams to the postseason.
That certainly didn’t seem possible when Baker was dismissed from the Nationals after back-to-back first-place finishes in 2016 and 2017. Baker thought he was done as a manager. He packed away his baseball equipment bag in his attic at his home in Sacramento, Calif., and was coming to terms with retirement despite the disappointment of never winning a World Series as a manager. A call from Crane changed things.
“This is my last hurrah," Baker said. "I'm excited to be here and excited to win, because this is my last chance to accomplish the goal [of winning a World Series]. I was happy, but I wasn't satisfied where I was and what I was doing . . . because something's missing."
Baker has made 9 postseason appearances in his 22 seasons as a Major League manager. He has won 1,863 regular-season games, good for a .532 winning percentage.
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While the hiring of Baker brings some instant credibility to the club, his resume isn’t without some blemishes. His track record in the playoffs isn’t good. And he’s known for riding starting pitchers too hard. And, as the oldest manager in the big leagues, can he embrace the analytics that the Astros rely upon so heavily?
“We’ve got good people that can deliver it in a concise way,” Crane said. “We really don’t try to overload them. We just work on the things that need to get done. I have no problem [believing that] he’ll take this and run with it and apply it to how he feels he can win games.”
To be in the game for as long as Baker, you have to embrace change.
“How many men 70 years old have a 20-year-old son?” Baker said. “And I just had my first grandchild 15 days ago. I enjoy and embrace being modern, but also being old school at the same time. And I don’t see why you can’t combine both of them.”
The Astros, who are still in search of a general manager, will give Baker all the data he can consume. At the end of the day, he’s here to win any way he can. He’s here to help the Astros weather the storm of scorn and criticism that’s likely to follow them around this year. It’s nothing Baker can’t handle through leadership, respect and even instilling some of the advice he once got from Bill Russell. The 11-time NBA champion who told him the secret to winning was everyone loving each other.
“This is a new beginning for us, a new beginning for me,” Baker said. “I think the thing we have going for us is the amount of love that I see that the players have for this city and the city has for the players, and also that the players have for each other. It’s going to be very, very positive. I knew it was going to be challenging when I took the position. I’ve always risen to the challenge.” (B McTaggart - MLB.com - Jan 30, 2020)
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Feb 4, 2020: At a media luncheon hosted by the Astros, manager Dusty Baker spoke with reporters about a wide range of topics ahead of his first Spring Training with the club, only a week after he was hired by owner Jim Crane.
- How do you start to build a relationship with James Click, who was just introduced as the new general manager?
You start with trust. You start with honesty. You be as straightforward as you can, with all situations. You don't sugarcoat anything. If you're asked a question, you answer to the best of your knowledge and ability. There are some things that I can learn from him. There are some things that possibly he can learn from me. It's like dealing with my son. I call him when I'm stumped on my computer, when I'm stumped on my cell phone, how to transfer this and that. These are areas where I can improve. There are areas [Click] wants to improve on. We'll enhance each other.
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Have you met bench coach Joe Espada? How much will you rely on him this year?
I talked to Joe this morning. [I'll rely on him] a lot. I'm a big planner, especially during Spring Training. I like things sharp; I like things organized. I don't like a lot of standing around. He doesn't either. I'm relying on him quite a bit. He knows the players. He knows who works hard. He knows who might not work as hard. He knows who comes in early, who comes in late. There are some guys who work too hard where you might have to tell them to back off a little bit. He's giving me some insight into the team and to the players.
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How has your philosophy as manager changed over the years? Will you do anything differently this time around?
I don't know, I think I did pretty good my last couple times around. I just do much of the same. Just rely, especially in this situation, where you're new, you haven't had a lot of time to study. This is kind of a whirlwind situation. I've had five or six days longer than James Click has.
I don't know what I'm going to do differently. I have to first get in there and see what the mood and the personnel is like before you can just go to changing stuff. I prefer to not to have to change anything, and just do much of the same. It was good before I got here. I've got my eyes open. I'm always looking for a surprise when I go to Spring Training, someone that you don't always count on. It's happened many, many times in my career as a manager where a kid you didn't count on all of a sudden figures out how to throw his curveball over, or finds his control, or finds his coordination, or something. Did some mental skills training over the winter and therefore got mentally stronger. I'm looking for a surprise that possibly none of us are counting on.
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You are wearing "Baker Jr." on your uniform. Is that the first time you've added the "Junior"?
Yes. You try to learn from the youth. I've seen a lot of younger players, especially in football and basketball, have it. I just thought of it in the middle of the night. I thought about my dad. This is the 10th year [since he died]. A lot of people don't know I'm a Junior; they just know me as Dusty. My brother passed eight months ago. My son will be 21 next week. My grandson is almost three weeks old—my first grandson. It's important to me to show my family. My [siblings], they like the respect I'm giving my dad.
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Your general thoughts on using an opener?
I really don't know. You know something—it's just a different name. Instead of the opener, we called them bullpen days. This is nothing new. You guys have different names for some of the same stuff we had names for before. It depends on the shape of your bullpen, the shape of your starting pitching and how many consecutive days you're going to be playing without days off. I'll be relying heavily on [pitching coach] Brent Strom, because Brent knows this team. He knows this pitching staff. I've got to rely on him.
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You'll be managing the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium, where you played a large part of your career. Your thoughts on that?
That's kinda cool too, ain't it?
The last All-Star Game I managed, I went to the World Series with the Giants [in 2002], but then I left and went to the Cubs and I had a Cubs uniform on at the White Sox park [at the All-Star Game in '03]. Now, here I am, coming back to Dodger Stadium. I had been asked before this job; I was going to manage the Futures Game. Now I'm managing in the real game.
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As the Astros prepare for the season under unusual circumstances, how do you help move everything forward?
Have an open heart to forgiveness. That's probably one of my worst traits. I know it is. My auntie used to tell me, "You have to forgive." I just couldn't. Now I'm trying to learn how to and also make sure the players stay together. [Former 49ers head coach] Bill Walsh used to always tell me, "Make sure the players stay together."
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The Astros' pitching lost a lot over the winter, both in the rotation and bullpen. How do you feel about the state of the pitching heading into the season?
Guys have to stay healthy. We need [Lance] McCullers back badly and have him a full year. I'm sure he's raring to go and hopefully will make it to a full year. We've got a couple surprises in the bullpen, the Minor Leagues, which we don't know yet. And this club always does something at the trade deadline. There was Verlander a couple years ago, and then there was Greinke. (A Footer - MLB.com - Feb 4, 2020)
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The voicemail stayed on Adam Greenberg’s phone for 10 years. Whenever he needed a pick-me-up or a reminder to keep going, he’d listen to it. The voice belonged to Dusty Baker and the message was full of inspiration. The first time he heard it, Greenberg cried.
The emotions were much more upbeat in Spring Training 2020 when Greenberg, who was in Astros camp with his job as national director of sales for Chandler Bat Company, popped into Baker’s office at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches to say hello. It was the first time they had seen each other in about six years, though they talk more often than that. The hug they shared was genuine.
“Dusty is one of the greatest people I've ever met on or off the field, and to see him back in uniform, it’s where he should be,” Greenberg said. “To come into a team like the Astros with everything that’s gone on, there’s no person that I know that could fill this role better than him. He’s just a genuine human being that knows the game as well as anyone and cares about people. It’s so good to see him there.”
Greenberg’s respect for Baker was born out of dark circumstances. Baker was managing the Cubs when Greenberg was called up from Double-A to make his Major League debut on July 9, 2005, in Miami. He pinch-hit against the Marlins in the ninth inning and was struck in the back of the head by a 92-mph fastball from Valerio De Los Santos on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues.
Greenberg sustained a mild concussion and was removed from the game, though the medical problems were just starting. He suffered positional vertigo for 2 1/2 years and battled vision problems and depression. He eventually asked for his release from the Cubs and, years later, had one more at-bat in the Majors with the Marlins in 2012 that was the result of an online petition. He was struck out on three pitches by R.A. Dickey, but that didn’t matter. Greenberg made it back to the big leagues.
A couple of years following the incident, in 2007, Baker got a letter from a fan requesting a baseball card be signed. In the letter, the person told Baker that Greenberg had been released by the Royals and his baseball career was in jeopardy. Baker tracked down Greenberg and left him the voice mail that served as his motivation for a post-baseball life.
“It was so genuine and from the heart,” Greenberg said. “It put me in tears the first time, but it was the motivation and inspiration I needed to get up and keep going. And since then, he’s been somebody that’s been near and dear to me. I wrote a book called Get Up: The Art of Perseverance, and Dusty has almost a whole chapter in it about our relationship and what he means. He’s welcomed me into his home. He’s been someone who’s bigger than baseball for me.”
Greenberg, 39, overcame his medical issues and started a nutrition company that he ran for 10 years before selling it. He ran for state senate last year in Connecticut and is enjoying being back in the game working for Chandler, which is owned by Mets outfielder Yoenis Céspedes. Greenberg also serves as a baseball analyst on the ACC Network.
“Just being back around the clubhouse and the players and everything, it’s been fun for me,” he said. “When they go hit with the bats they come back and say, ‘I never heard a sound like this. This is amazing.’ It feels good. You’re becoming a part of the game. Being on the other side is fun. I’m enjoying it.”
Baker said he will always remember Greenberg’s parents crying after he was helped off the field in what should have been the greatest moment of his life. Baker said it was one of the saddest moments of his career, but seeing Greenberg now brings joy.
“You see guys change, but he’s the same young, enthusiastic kid that he always was. But now he’s a man,” Baker said. “You’re not supposed to have favorites, but he’s one of mine.” (Johns - mlb.cm - 2/24/2020)
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Despite winning 1,863 games over 22 seasons, the most wins ever for a black manager, Dusty was getting of traction for managerial openings across the league after being let go by the Nationals in 2017. Teams instead opted for young, ex-players without experience. The industry seemed to be saying Baker was too old-school.
So, he gave away his cleats and bats and gloves. He spent time with his family. He opened a winery and tasting room for his business, Baker Family Wines, in West Sacramento. He founded a company, Baker Energy Team, that develops renewable energy plans for businesses. ["If nobody wanted me on their team, I'll start my own," he said.] He began to make peace with the idea that he was retired.
Then the Astros called. (S Apstein - SI - Spring 2020)
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April 30, 2021: Dusty recorded career win No. 1,906 in a victory over the Rays, passing Hall of Famer Casey Stengel for the 12th-most in Major League history. Baker will be pressed to move up the charts further with Bruce Bochy standing in 11th place with 2,003 wins.
- June 19, 2021: It’s 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday, and the guitar riffs of Jimi Hendrix are seeping through the door of a luxury hotel in Minneapolis. If Darren Baker had any uncertainty about which room was his father’s, the sounds of psychedelic rock eased his mind.
Once inside, Dusty Baker—the hippest 72-year-old on the planet—turned down the volume and shared a story of how Jimi Hendrix’s music evolved. Dusty has worshiped Hendrix since he saw him live at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 with the tickets that he received from his parents as an 18th birthday present. Dusty even wrote in a 2015 book about the concert that he later shared a smoke with Hendrix on the streets of San Francisco.
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Darren has heard most of the famous names and the fascinating stories before, whether they’re about Hendrix or B.B. King. Or Hank Aaron and Bobby Bonds. That’s only part of the experience of being the son of Dusty Baker, who had Darren when he was 49 years old while managing the Giants. Dusty raised him in baseball while surrounded by music, love and life lessons. “He’s kept me young and keeps me young and up on the music, the lingo,” Dusty said. “Sometimes he’ll say ‘Your pants are too tight' or 'too loose.’ I think I’m good for him and he’s good for me. It’s a relationship much like I had with my dad. I’m not as strict as my dad was on me, but if you ask him, he’ll probably think I am. Love and discipline.”
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Dusty is much closer to his son than he was with his own father, who died in 2009. Johnnie B. Baker Sr. worked two jobs to put food on the table for his five kids and was a disciplinarian with a military background. He did, though, always find a way to attend Dusty’s games. Last year, when he was hired out of retirement by the Astros in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal, Dusty added a tribute to his father by putting “Baker Jr.” on the back of his jersey for the first time in his career. He wanted everyone to know he was Big John’s son.
“Father’s Day is big for me because I had one of the premier fathers in the world,” Dusty said. “I didn’t realize it until later, like most of us do. It’s important that he’s proud of me.”
DARREN BAKER
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May 19, 2017: Darren Baker's baseball career at Jesuit High School in Carmichael, Calif., is over. The Marauders lost a first-round playoff game, ending their 2017 season. Darren, the only son of Nationals manager Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker Jr., could be heading this fall to play college ball at Cal Berkeley. But then again, he might not. There's an MLB draft in June. And his son is now a 6-foot, 155-pound shortstop who led off and batted .396 this season.
"He's been scouted by quite a few teams," Baker said. "Quite a few teams have been out to the house. Some teams have shown more interest than others. I think he's going to play at Cal, but we're leaving his options open. It depends on where he gets drafted. In what round and by whom.
First of all, there's graduation just outside Sacramento, and Dad is taking the weekend off from managing the Nationals. He'll miss the three-game home series against the Padres and rejoin the team when it travels to San Francisco.
"If I had to miss three games, you couldn't have picked a better scenario," Baker said. "It's about as perfect as you can get."
Yes, Darren Baker is the kid who gained national fame when J.T. Snow plucked him out of harm's way at home plate during Game 5 of the 2002 World Series at AT&T Park. He was 3 years old, and his father managed the Giants, who lost in seven games to the Angels. Snow had just scored, and David Bell was barreling down the third-base line. Darren, the youngest bat boy in baseball history, had prematurely gone to the plate to pick up Kenny Lofton's stick. Darren was so young at the time he told Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee he doesn't remember the incident.
"It's like it never happened," he said. "Sadly, in my mind it's just not there."
His dad remembers the incident and breaks into one of his characteristic big smiles, that signature toothpick dangling from his lower lip. He remembers everything. Darren is the only child from his second marriage to Melissa. Dusty has a daughter, Natosha, now 37, from his first one. Darren has been around the game forever, tutored along the way by Barry Bonds, Chris Speier, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Stephen Drew and Brandon Phillips, who speaks to him every few weeks.
"He has plenty of guys to emulate," Baker said. "And he loves it, that's the thing. Whether it's this year or a couple of years, he's not in awe of going into pro ball. He wasn't like me. I wasn't a good student. I played all sports. When I graduated from [El Campo High School], I had to make a choice. For him it's no choice. He's always loved baseball. He was always sliding as a little kid. Sliding in the Safeway, sliding in the airport. I was always telling him to get up from the ground."
In fact, at the end of the video clip in which Snow makes the big save, Darren doubles back to retrieve his helmet and then takes a makeshift slide, feet first, the way it's supposed to be done. The younger Baker loves to steal a base. That's his game. It's no wonder scouts have been coming in droves to watch the kid play. Baker says among the clubs that have made contact are the Braves, Dodgers, Giants, A's, Cubs, Reds and Nationals—every team Baker has either played for or managed in a career that began when he was picked by Atlanta in the 26th round of the 1967 draft. He played the outfield and batted .278, but stole only 137 bases in 19 seasons."
Some see Darren as an outfielder, some see him as a middle infielder. But he's 17 years old now and hasn't developed yet either physically or mentally. What position he wants to play or if he wants to turn pro is a matter of family discussion. The only thing expected was that Darren maintain his grades, and he'll graduate with a 3.7 GPA.
"My dad basically lets me pick where I want to play," Darren said. "Where I want to play, for what team I want to play. Everything's on me. He's not a hovering parent. He almost gives me too much space. It's usually me going to him for advice." That's the way Johnnie B. Sr. handled his son. And if it was good enough for Dusty and his dad, it should be good enough for Darren, too. Darren has traveled with his dad during every baseball season and is planning to be back for another tour with the Nationals this summer after graduation.
But if Darren decides to jump right to the pros, Dusty knows that will come to an end. Dusty is a prostate cancer survivor, survivor of a mini-stroke, and at 67 is well aware that all things come to an end. But no matter what direction his son takes, right now, it's all good.
"Yeah, he's graduating, and it makes you think of the kid's first day at school," he said. "I remember his first day in high school at Jesuit, going to orientation. I guess it's just life. You see yourself getting older, you see him getting older. You know you've got to let him leave the nest like we did. You just hope you did your job and he's prepared." (B Bloom - MLB.com - May 19, 2017) (Editor's note: Darren Baker went to the University of California and later got drafted by the Nationals in 2021.)
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Darren knows how to embrace his father, his stories and his baseball career, which ended as a player long before Darren was born to Dusty and his wife, Melissa, just before Spring Training in 1999. But navigating his own baseball path in the giant shadow of his father comes with challenges.
“I think he realizes me growing up in the same town as my dad and going to school in the same area where he made his name, it’s not easy being Dusty’s son,” Darren said. “I think he understands. He kind of lets me be my own man and pushes me to do whatever I believe in.”
Darren is 22 now and recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where he started his final 123 consecutive games as a lefthanded-hitting infielder. He batted .327 and was on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team as a senior in 2021. He’s off to play summer ball for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a college summer team in Ohio that’s managed by 15-year MLB veteran Coco Crisp. Darren is taking with him a dozen wooden bats given to him last year by George Springer. Dusty got Mookie Betts to give a couple to Darren, as well. “He’ll be a better pro than he was in college,” Dusty said.
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Before heading out, Darren came to Minneapolis last weekend to spend a few days with his dad while the Astros were playing the Twins. Their time together is rare. They were together more than they had been in years when COVID-19 shut down baseball for months last year and forced both Dusty and Darren back to the family’s Granite Bay, Calif., home. They hit daily in the Bakers' batting cage, worked out, played hoops on the backyard sport court and talked about basketball and music while mixing in a few fishing trips.
“It’s a double treat to grow up with him and for him to come around and be at the baseball games,” Dusty said. “He was on the bench for every [managerial] stop except this one because of the COVID stuff. He’s a man now. Even though he’s still your kid, he’s a man now. You got to let him be a man. He’s always been his own guy. He’s a respectful young man.”
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Darren grew up surrounded by baseball. He had no choice. Summers were spent in whatever uniform his dad was wearing as a manager—the Giants (1993-2002), Cubs (2003-06), Reds (2008-13) and Nationals (2016-17). He helped as the batboy. Family is extremely important to Dusty, who survived a stroke and later beat prostate cancer. Because of that, he always encouraged players with kids to bring them around the team.
When the Astros weren’t allowed to have their wives and kids around during last year’s shortened season, Dusty lamented not being able to meet the families. He longed for the days Darren was at his side.
“I got a warning the first time when I had prostate cancer when he was 3 years old, and that’s why I had him [in uniform],” Dusty said. “Everybody was like, ‘Isn’t he too young to be a batboy?’ But when you got cancer, you start thinking about all the things you want to give your kid. Here I was, old enough to be a grandfather, and I had a kid. I was like, ‘Whoa, I got a lot to live for.’”
When he was sick, Dusty turned to friends like Ralph Garr, Jerry Manuel and Gary Matthews and made them promise him they would help take care of Darren if something ever happened to him. Keep him on the straight and narrow, as Dusty put it.
“It’s kind of like a village raising a kid,” he said.
The baseball world enveloped Darren. He built relationships with Major League players that still exist today. He was mentored by several Reds players, including Joey Votto, and still hits in the offseason with Barry Bonds, the home run king who his dad managed in San Francisco. Being the son of Dusty Baker comes with perks.
“I’m extremely grateful,” Darren said. “There’s only a small percentage of people who probably had the opportunities I had. It wasn’t until I got older that I really came to understand it. When I was three or four years old, he was just Barry. When Dusty got to Cincinnati and I got close to high school, guys like Votto and Brandon Phillips and Todd Frazier, those guys became my actual friends.”
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After he was fired by the Nationals in 2017, Dusty became a full-time dad again. He credits his wife for doing the heavy lifting raising Darren while he was gone, but Dusty thought his career was over when he left Washington. He put his baseball gear in the attic and turned his attention to Darren. They took a fishing trip to Alaska and always made time to hit in the batting cage. Anything to spend time together.
“At home, he really loves westerns,” Darren said. “Like Clint Eastwood. He loves those movies. I probably saw every western imaginable in the quarantine times.”
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When the Astros called early in 2020 with an opportunity to return to the dugout, Darren was all for it. Sure, he enjoyed having his dad in the stands for his games at Cal, but he knew his father was still chasing that elusive World Series title and aiming for 2,000 career wins.
“I asked him, ‘What do you think?’ and he said, ‘Dad, you gotta go,’” Dusty said. “He said, ‘I’ll miss you,’ and I miss him, but every now and then a man’s got to do what a man got to do. Plus, like I haven’t reached all my dreams and goals yet.”
Considering he never thought he’d manage again after he left the Nationals, Dusty is treasuring his time in Houston. Some of the players, such as third baseman Alex Bregman and outfielder Kyle Tucker, aren’t much older than Darren. They keep him young, too.
“I think it’s probably the happiest I’ve seen him that I can remember,” Darren said. “He’s really enjoying this run.”
Dusty and Darren won’t be together on Father’s Day. They’ll have to settle for a phone call or a text message, and that’s OK. Dusty cherishes being a father to daughter Natosha and Darren and a grandfather to 17-month-old grandson Nova Love Smith, who he calls “a cool little dude.”
Just wait until he finds out who his grandfather is. And hears all those amazing stories … and the Jimi Hendrix music coming through the door.
“That’s why Father’s Day is very special to me,” Dusty said. “Because I have a heck of a daughter, a heck of a son-in-law, a tremendous grandson and a tremendous son who wants to play ball. ... Life’s good. Life’s real good.” (B McTaggart - MLB.com - June 19, 2021)
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Maybe at some point, Dusty will be able to reflect on his accomplishments as a Major League manager and appreciate the rarity and excellence of his career. Baker is the only man to take five different teams to the playoffs. And on September 30, 2021, he became the only one to win at least five division titles with five different clubs after the Astros beat the Rays, 3-2, to clinch the American League West.
Baker called the 2021 season the “hardest, but greatest year ever” for him before his players surrounded him and doused him with champagne. The 72-year-old jumped and danced and soaked up the accomplishment and the moment, and who can blame him?
“I ain’t gonna cry,” he said. “But I get emotional; I’m human. That’s why I came here. I’m glad Jim Crane and the organization saw fit to let me manage this team.” (McTaggart - mlb.com - 10/1/2021)
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Oct 23, 2021: Baker was doubtful of his chances of getting another shot. Four years ago, after a deflating and disappointing early postseason exit with the Nationals, the longtime skipper was let go in a move that was criticized by many at the time, yet it still sent him into managerial oblivion.
More than two years went by before two calls came. The Phillies reached out first, but they hired Joe Girardi. The second was from Astros owner Jim Crane. He needed a proven leader to navigate the turbulent waters left in the wake of Houston’s sign-stealing scandal. He needed Baker. And Baker needed the Astros.
After a 5-0 win over Boston in ALCS Game 6, Houston is heading back to the World Series for the third time in five years, continuing a run that began before Baker arrived on Jan. 29, 2020, a mere 16 days after Major League Baseball sanctioned the Astros. At the time, Baker—who played 19 big league seasons, managed another 22 and had been in the game for more than a half-century—called this job “my last hurrah.” His future has been a lingering topic for some time, and Crane addressed Baker’s status beyond this season following the win.
“Listen, Dusty deserves another shot for next year,” Crane said. "We’ll see where it goes. Dusty has done a great job here, and I don’t think there is any reason we wouldn’t visit about it after the World Series. We don’t want to get distracted by any contracts or any extension. We’ll sit down with everybody at the end of the World Series. I love Dusty. We’ll put it like that. You take it from there.”
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Celebrations are ripe for nostalgia, and Crane couldn’t hold back when recounting the hiring process. “I sat and talked to him for two hours and I thought he was my best friend,” Crane said. “I made my decision right there on the spot. We were happy to have him. He came in and steadied the ship, and you’ve seen the results. Hopefully, we get a little more.”
Baker also showed emotional vulnerability when looking back at his hiring, the past criticisms of him as a manager and the parallels of his individual journey to prove himself aligning with his new team in moving past the sign-stealing saga.
“I had some things over my head, too, and so we had a lot in common,” Baker said. “When you can identify with the people that you're with, no matter what age they are, it's easier to get along and identify the struggles that they're going through. And like I said, I feel very fortunate to have this group of guys and to be in this position.
“At the beginning of this journey, I didn't even have a job. I interviewed with the Phillies. They went with Joe Girardi. And then my son told me in his infinite wisdom, he goes, ‘Dad, maybe that job wasn't yours, and this is a better job.’ I hate that A.J. Hinch lost his job in the manner that he did, but I inherited a good team, much like Sparky Anderson inherited the Big Red Machine.”
Baker is making the most of this opportunity at the ripe age of 72, which will make him the second-oldest manager in World Series history, behind only the Marlins’ Jack McKeon, who was also 72 in 2003 but 196 days older than Baker. Speaking to his longevity, Baker is only the ninth manager in MLB history to win a pennant in each league, having taken the 2002 Giants to the Fall Classic.
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Baker’s Giants had Barry Bonds in his prime. The next year, Baker managed Sammy Sosa, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood for the Cubs in October. He later took Joey Votto to the postseason with the Reds in 2010 and 2012. And he oversaw Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in the 2016 and 2017 postseasons with the Nationals. Baker has managed some of the game’s all-time greats spanning multiple generations.
“In the time I've been with him, he understands how it is to be a ballplayer,” ALCS MVP Yordan Alvarez said through team interpreter Andrew Dunn-Bauman. “He understands what guys go through every day. I got a chance to spend time with him in Spring Training as well. He has been really helpful to me, and I'm thankful for everything that he has given to me in this time together.”
Asked what gave him conviction when signing with Houston, Baker drew on insights from his former Hall of Fame manager.
“Like Tommy Lasorda used to tell us all the time, you’ve got to believe it before it happens,” Baker said.
Baker always believed. This is his 24th season as a big league manager, and the goal that has eluded him is now right there in front of him. (D Kramer - MLB.com - Oct 23, 2021)
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Nov 16, 2021: Baker finished third for the AL Manager of the Year Award presented by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, behind winner Kevin Cash of the Rays and runner-up Scott Servais of the Mariners.
In his second year as Astros manager, Dusty Baker led Houston to 95 wins and its fourth American League West title in five years, making him the first skipper in Major League history to win division titles with five different clubs. (K Landry - MLB.com - Nov 16, 2021)
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Dec 6, 2021: After leading the Astros to 95 regular-season wins and an American League pennant, Dusty Baker was named 2021 Manager of the Year by Baseball America.
He’s the ninth manager in history to win pennants in both the AL and NL.
Baker is the third Astros manager to win the Baseball America award, joining Larry Dierker (1998) and A.J. Hinch (2017). Baker also won it with the Giants in 2000. Baker, who signed a one-year contract extension with the Astros last month, led the team to the World Series before falling to the Braves in six games. (B McTaggart - MLB.com - DEc 6, 2021)
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May 3, 2022: If they weren’t already, the doors to the National Baseball Hall of Fame may have swung wide open for Astros manager Dusty Baker. A baseball lifer who has seen almost everything, knows almost everyone and is respected by everybody in a uniform, Baker put himself in elite company when he won his 2,000th game as a Major League manager.
Baker, 72, became the 12th AL/NL manager to reach 2,000 wins – and first Black manager – as the Astros beat the Mariners, 4-0, at Minute Maid Park. Of the previous 11 managers to reach 2,000 career victories, 10 of them are in the Hall of Fame. The only one who isn’t is Bruce Bochy (2,003 wins), who’s not yet eligible for induction. “I think about the people that made it possible for me to get in this position – my dad, Jackie Robinson, Frank Robinson, Cito Gaston – the guys who were minority managers ahead of me,” Baker said. “You look at guys like Maury Wills and some of the guys that I know. To me, everybody is making a bigger thing out of it than me because I’ve got work to do.” (B McTaggart - MLB.com - May 3, 2022)
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“It was probably the quickest four years I've ever spent in my life,” said Baker, who was joined at the press conference by his wife, Melissa. “But that's what happens when you win. … They were winning when I got here, winning while I was here and I wish them well.”Oct 26, 2023: Dusty retires as the 7th-winningest manager in history. Baker capped a 26-year tenure with 4 ALCS appearances, 2 pennants, WS title in Houston.
Wearing his 2022 World Series championship ring and his familiar smile, Dusty Baker spoke fondly about his four years in Houston while turning his attention to the next chapter of his remarkable baseball life. At 74 years old, he feels he has more to give the game and society, but his time in a Major League uniform is over after more than 50 years. He said he wants to remain involved in the game but will return home to California to spend time with his family, which includes a pair of grandkids. (B McTaggart - MLB.com - Oct 26, 2023)
- Jan 20, 2024: ‘This is home’: Baker embracing his new role with Giants. As a special advisor, Baker will work on both the baseball and business sides under team CEO Larry Baer, similar to the role he served with the Giants from 2018-19. Baker anticipates spending a fair amount of time around the team during the season, though he wasn't entirely sure how much just yet.
What he does know is this new role will allow him more freedom from the restrictions of an MLB schedule.
Baker will have plenty of opportunity to get his baseball fix, but he'll also have more time for his son, Darren, who's a prospect in the Nationals' farm system. There's fish to catch, wine to make and scotch to drink, and much more flexibility to do it all on Baker's terms.
"This allows me to do some of the things that I couldn't do for 50 years," Baker said. "Go fishing, see my son play, live kind of a spontaneous life vs. a planned life."
While the Giants have made some big moves this offseason -- signing Jung Hoo Lee and Jordan Hicks, as well as trading for Robbie Ray -- bringing Baker back to the Bay may be one of the most popular decisions the team has made this winter.
"A lot of people have told me that they kind of grew up with me," Baker said. "Hopefully, we turned some people into fans."
That might be the understatement of the day.
Baker drew perhaps the loudest applause of the day at the FanFest tour when he sat for a Q&A, louder even than the warm reception Giants fans gave to ace Logan Webb, who, like Baker, is from the Sacramento area. As beloved as Webb is by the San Francisco fanbase, it will be some time before he gets "Hall of Fame!" chants when his name is announced. Giants players are as excited as the fans about Baker's presence in the organization.
"I really just want to meet him and soak in some of his knowledge, because the guy's won everywhere he's been and he has a winning record everywhere he's coached," Alex Cobb said. "There's a lot of value in adding him to our organization, and there's a lot to learn from that type of experience. I'm excited just to chat with him as a baseball fan."
As Baker walked off the stage after his Q&A, he was swarmed by fans asking him to sign baseballs, hats and posters. It was nearly impossible for him to walk through the corridors of the ballpark without someone stopping to say hello and welcome him back to the organization. (S Chen - MLB.com - Jan 20, 2024)
