Dusty Baker

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Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker in 2017 (33735309423) (cropped).jpg
Baker with the Washington Nationals in 2017
Houston Astros – No. 12
Outfielder / Manager
Born: (1949-06-15) June 15, 1949 (age 72)
Riverside, California
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 7, 1968, for the Atlanta Braves
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 1986, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average.278
Home runs242
Runs batted in1,013
Managerial record1,987–1,734
Winning %.534
Teams
As player

As manager

As coach

Career highlights and awards

Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker Jr.[a][2] (born June 15, 1949) is an American baseball manager and former outfielder who is the manager of Houston Astros in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers. During his Dodgers tenure, he was a two-time All-Star, won two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove Award, and became the first NLCS MVP, which he received during the 1977 National League Championship Series. He also made three World Series appearances, winning one in 1981.

After retiring as a player, Baker served as the manager of the San Francisco Giants from 1993 to 2002, the Chicago Cubs from 2003 to 2006, the Cincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2013, and Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2017. He has served as the manager of the Astros since 2020. Baker is the first MLB manager to reach the playoffs and win a division title with five different teams, having accomplished both feats with each team he managed. He led the Giants to the 2002 World Series and the Astros to the 2021 World Series, making him the ninth manager to win pennants in both the American and National Leagues. At age 72, he is the second-oldest manager to appear in a World Series.

Early life[edit]

Baker grew up in Riverside, California as the oldest of five children. He earned the nickname "Dusty" from his mother because of his propensity for playing in a dirt spot in the backyard. His father worked as an Air Force sheet-metal technician at Norton Air Force Base. In 1963 when Dusty was 14, the Baker family moved to the Sacramento area near McClellan Air Force Base.[3][4]

Playing career[edit]

At Del Campo High School near Sacramento, California, Baker excelled in baseball, basketball, football, and track. Baker was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section's Hall of Fame class in 2010 for his play at Del Campo.[5] As such, he was offered a basketball scholarship by Santa Clara University. However, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1967 amateur draft (despite his prayers to not play in the Deep South); his father wanted him to go to college. On June 19 of that year, the Braves tasked Hank Aaron to try and influence Baker to sign with the team, with him promising to both Baker and his mother Christine that he would take care of Baker as if he was his own son while guaranteeing that he would be in the majors before his college class graduated.[6]

He decided to sign with the team to the anger of his father, who sued to nullify the contract (and the $15,000 signing bonus) to no avail. The Bakers would not reconcile for seven years. He began his major league baseball career as an outfielder for the Braves in 1968 while also serving as a Marine Corps Reserve from 1968 to 1974 in motor transport mechanics.[7] As a Brave, he earned a spot as a footnote in history. On April 8, 1974, he was on deck when Hank Aaron hit home run 715 to pass Babe Ruth in career home runs. He played for the Yaquis de Obregón of the Mexican Pacific League in the 1970s during the offseason, stating it was the toughest league that he ever played in professionally.[8]

Many of Baker's accomplishments as a player came during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which include playing for the National League All-Star team in 1981 and 1982, and winning three league pennants in 1977, 1978, and 1981. In 1977, he was awarded the first-ever National League Championship Series (NLCS) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Baker ultimately won a World Series title in 1981 with the Dodgers. However, Baker played poorly during the series, batting .167 with an On-base percentage (OBP) of .192.[9]

Baker in 1974

After spending eight full seasons with the Braves and another eight with the Dodgers, as well as short tenures with both the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics, Baker finished his career as a player in 1986 with a .278 batting average, 242 home runs, and 1,013 runs batted in while never going on the disabled list.[citation needed]

Many believe that Baker played an integral part in the first-ever high five, which occurred between Baker and Dodgers teammate Glenn Burke on October 2, 1977, at Dodger Stadium, a story featured in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary The High Five (2014), directed by Michael Jacobs.[10] Vaunted historian and athletics instructor Dennis Pirkle disputes Baker's origin of the high five.[11]

"It was the last day of the regular season, and Dodgers leftfielder Dusty Baker had just gone deep off the Astros' J. R. Richard. It was Baker's 30th home run, making the Dodgers the first team in history to have four sluggers – Baker, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, and Reggie Smith – with at least 30 homers each. It was a wild, triumphant moment and a good omen as the Dodgers headed to the playoffs. Burke, waiting on deck, thrust his hand enthusiastically over his head to greet his friend at the plate. Baker, not knowing what to do, smacked it. 'His hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back', says Baker, now 72 and managing the Astros. 'So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do.'"[11]

Baker is noted for his love of toothpicks. He chewed them every game and was once quoted saying, "Toothpicks are an excellent source of protein."[12] He also uses the toothpick as a way to deter use of chewing tobacco, which he used as a player; he is also noted for his choice of wristbands (starting in 1986 after approached to wear a band that had his face on it), which he states is to help wipe perspiration off his forehead.[13][14]

Managerial career[edit]

San Francisco Giants[edit]

Baker in 1991

Baker's coaching career started as a first base coach for the San Francisco Giants in 1988, and then he spent the following four years (1989–1992) as the hitting coach. In 1992, he managed the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.[15]

In 1993 he was hired to replace the departing Roger Craig. In his first year as Giants manager (a team that acquired Barry Bonds in the offseason), he won the NL Manager of the Year award (which through 2021 only he and Gabe Kapler had won as Giants managers), leading the team to a 103–59 record. It was the second-best record in baseball that year (behind the 104–58 Atlanta Braves), and 31 games better than their 72–90 finish the previous season. He was the first manager since Dick Howser to win 100 games as a rookie manager, and the fifth overall to do it. Since the Giants missed the playoffs (as only the division winners qualified before 1995), he also became the eighth and so far the last manager to lead a team to 100 wins without making it to the postseason.

His Giants went on to win division titles in 1997, and again in 2000; Baker won Manager of the Year honors in both of those years as well. He was the second person to win the award three times after Tony La Russa, and the first to do so with the same team all three times. It was during his San Francisco tenure that the term "Dustiny" was coined by former Giants pitcher Rod Beck.[16]

In 2002, his Giants gained the wild-card playoff berth and from there advanced to the World Series, where they lost in seven games to the Anaheim Angels, who were managed by his former Dodger teammate Mike Scioscia. Baker had his most wildly discussed moment during the Series when he removed pitcher Russ Ortiz in the seventh inning of Game 6 of the 2002 World Series after 98 pitches; Ortiz had been cruising along until the seventh inning with a shutout until he allowed consecutive singles after getting the first out of the inning. Félix Rodríguez would soon allow a home run to give Anaheim hope (which led to Baker soon putting in Robb Nen, battling a shoulder injury for most of the year), and the Angels would finish the rally from a 5–0 deficit to win that game 6–5 in the eighth inning, which was the largest comeback in a World Series elimation game; the loss would sting further upon the Giants losing 4–1 in Game 7 the following day.[17]

Despite Baker's success in San Francisco, he had an increasingly strained relationship with owner Peter Magowan, one that even the Giants' first pennant in 13 years could not mend. The Giants did not renew his contract after the season,[18] letting him leave to manage the Chicago Cubs and hiring Felipe Alou to replace him. Baker finished his tenure with a record of 840 wins and 715 losses in the regular season and 11 wins and 13 losses in the post-season.[19]

To date, Baker is one of only four African Americans to manage a World Series team. Cito Gaston was the first, managing the Toronto Blue Jays to championships in 1992 and 1993. Baker was the second, and Ron Washington and Dave Roberts have since joined Gaston and Baker by managing the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively, to the World Series, with Roberts winning a championship in 2020. Baker left as the all-time winningest manager in the San Francisco era of Giants history; Bruce Bochy would later eclipse him alongside managing the Giants to World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Chicago Cubs[edit]

Baker meeting with Cecil Cooper of the Houston Astros prior to a 2006 matchup at Wrigley Field.

On November 15, 2002, he was hired by the Chicago Cubs to a four-year deal to manage the team, replacing Don Baylor.

Baker would make a major impact in his first season as manager for the Cubs. With the help of an impressive pitching staff and big gun batters such as Sammy Sosa and Moisés Alou, the Cubs claimed their first division title in fourteen years. Baker led the Cubs to victory over the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series, the first postseason series victory for the team since the 1908 World Series. However, the hopes for the Cubs winning a World Series title were cut short during the 2003 National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins. In Game 6, with Chicago five outs away from the pennant and holding a 3–0 lead, the infamous Steve Bartman foul ball incident near the fans in left field would unravel the Cubs and derail the chance for their World Series appearance in 58 years. The Bartman incident proved to be a distraction for fans and the media, but it was critical execution failures by the Cubs such as a wild pitch on a ball four, a fielding error on a potential inning-ending double play, and a bad throw from the outfield after a Marlins hit, which allowed the visitors from Miami to score eight runs in that eighth inning to win the game 8–3. The Marlins would go on to win Game 7 at Wrigley Field on their way to winning the 2003 World Series.

In 2004, the team was involved in a heated wild card chase with the Houston Astros but fell out of contention near the season's end. On August 30, Baker won his 1,000th game as manager with a win over the Montreal Expos, doing so in his 1,848th game.[20]

In 2005, the Cubs lost several of their key players, most notably ace pitchers Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, to injuries. The team finished the season with a 79–83 record, marking the first time in three years that the Cubs finished with a losing record. The Cubs’ performance continued to decline in 2006 as they fell to 66–96[19] and finished last in the entire National League.

A month after that season ended, the Cubs declined to renew Baker's contract. They allowed Baker to address the media in a press conference in early October, where he officially announced his departure. The Cubs turned to Lou Piniella to replace Baker for the 2007 Chicago Cubs season. Baker finished his tenure with a regular-season record of 322 wins and 326 losses and a post-season record of six wins and six losses.[19]

Cincinnati Reds[edit]

Dusty Baker sporting his new Reds jersey at RedsFest 2007.

On October 13, 2007, Baker was hired as manager of the Cincinnati Reds, replacing interim manager Pete Mackanin.[21] Baker and the Reds finished 74-88 and 78–84 in 2008 and 2009, finishing 5th and 4th in the NL Central. In 2010, the Reds enjoyed success as one of baseball's breakout teams (which included first baseman Joey Votto being named Most Valuable Player of the National League), and on September 28, 2010, the Reds won the Central title. This championship led to their first playoff appearance in 15 years.[22] However, the appearance was short-lived as the Reds were swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Baker signed a two-year contract extension with the Reds on October 4, 2010.[23]

During September 2012, Baker stayed in a Chicago hospital for treatment of an irregular heartbeat. At the time, Baker had been dealing with a longstanding heart problem.[24] The Reds clinched the 2012 Central Division championship in his absence, their second in three years and Baker's fifth as a manager. On October 15, 2012, he signed a two-year contract extension as manager of the Reds.[25]

On October 4, 2013, Baker was fired as manager of the Reds after a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game, their sixth straight loss dating to the end of the regular season.[26] Baker finished his tenure with a regular season record of 509 wins and 463 losses and a post-season record of two wins and seven losses.[19] On October 22, 2013, he was replaced by Reds pitching coach Bryan Price.[27]

Washington Nationals[edit]

Baker managing the Nationals in 2017

On November 3, 2015, Baker was named the new manager for the Washington Nationals for the 2016 season, his first managerial position since being fired by Cincinnati in 2013.[28] At the time of his hiring, he was the only black manager in Major League Baseball and had the second-highest total for most wins in MLB.[28] The Nationals won the NL East in Baker's first season, but lost in the NLDS in five games against the Dodgers. The following season, Baker led the Nationals to another NL East Championship. However, their postseason was once again cut short after losing in the 2017 NLDS to the Chicago Cubs. On October 20, 2017, the Nationals announced that Baker would not return as the team's manager in 2018.[29]

Houston Astros[edit]

In 2020, Baker was one of three finalists for the Philadelphia Phillies job (alongside Joe Girardi and Buck Showalter). However, he did not get the job.[30]

Baker with the Houston Astros during spring training in 2020

On January 29, 2020, the Astros announced they hired Baker as their new manager to replace A. J. Hinch, who had been fired in the wake of the Astros sign stealing scandal.[31] The contract was for one year with a club option for a second year.[32] The Astros job marks Baker's first time managing an American League franchise. On September 25, the Astros clinched a playoff spot as the sixth seed in the pandemic-shortened season. Baker now ranks as the first baseball manager to lead five teams to the postseason.[33] He also became the first manager to lead a team that finished under .500 in the postseason to a series win, having beaten both the Minnesota Twins and the Oakland Athletics to reach the American League Championship Series (ALCS). It was the first time since 2003 that a Baker-led team had made the League Championship Series. The Astros lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in seven games after having come back from 3–0. Baker's appearance in Game 7 (a winner-take-all) was his ninth as manager, setting a new record for most appearances by a manager in a winner-take-all game, for which Baker has won just twice.[34]

On July 28, 2020, the Astros picked up the 2021 option on Baker's contract.[35][36]

On April 22, 2021, Baker secured his 1,900th win as a manager in the regular season, becoming the 14th manager to do so with an 8–2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.[37] Four days later, he passed Gene Mauch for 13th on the all-time wins list with a 5–2 win over the Seattle Mariners. On April 30, he passed Casey Stengel for 12th all-time with a 9–2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the teams' first meeting since the previous year's ALCS.[38]

By winning the American League West division in 2021, Baker became the first manager in the major leagues to guide five different clubs to division titles.[39] In the playoffs, the Astros first played the Chicago White Sox in the American League Division Series (ALDS). The White Sox were led by Tony La Russa, who Baker had faced as manager over 200 times previously, and whose careers both had intertwined and spanned more than five decades. They met most frequently in games in the National League Central when La Russa managed the St. Louis Cardinals, and Baker managed the Cubs and Reds.[40]

The Astros defeated the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) 4 games to 2, to bring Baker to his first AL pennant. Thus, Baker became the ninth manager in major league history to win a pennant in both leagues.[39]

On November 5, 2021, owner Jim Crane announced that Baker had agreed to a one-year extension to manage the club for the 2022 season.[41] He had managed over 24 major league seasons. With thirteen more wins, Baker would become the twelfth manager to reach 2,000 regular season victories in MLB history.[42]

Criticism[edit]

Dusty Baker during his days with the Chicago Cubs.

Baker, an old-school baseball traditionalist, was scrutinized for the Cubs' declining productivity. Baker has said that putting men on base can be unimportant and merely "clogging up the bases."[43] This position has made Baker a target among the sabermetric community.[44]

Additionally, many fans, commentators, and writers have accused Baker of a tendency to overuse pitchers, damaging the careers of Robb Nen, Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, and Edinson Vólquez.[45] Wood and Prior suffered serious arm injuries following their first full seasons under Baker. Wood and Prior averaged 122 and 126 pitches per start, respectively, in their final six regular-season starts of 2003.[46] However, Prior has been quoted as not blaming Baker for what happened with his career, stating that he had to balance pitcher use with the decisions required to try and help the Cubs win games. He also cited him as an inspiration to stay in the game after he retired from pitching, describing baseball as a relationship.[47] In later years, Baker's teams featured players throwing fewer pitches, and some baseball writers have noted that there is no clear link between pitches thrown and injuries suffered.[45][48]

Baker is known as a "player's manager."[49][50][51] He is seen as preferring to play veterans over prospects[52] even when his teams are out of the playoff hunt, stating a need to maintain the integrity of the playoff races.[citation needed]

In 2003, Baker was the subject of some controversy when he stated that "black and Hispanic players are better suited to playing in the sun and heat than white players." Baker, defending his beliefs, later said, "What I meant is that blacks and Latinos take the heat better than most whites, and whites take the cold better than most blacks and Latinos. That's it, pure and simple. Nothing deeper than that."[53] Similar comments in 2015, when he suggested his Washington Nationals should field more players of color as "you've got a better chance of getting some speed with Latin and African-Americans,"[54] also generated controversy. Baker said of the comments, "I'm not being racist. That's just how it is."[55]

Baker has never won the World Series as a manager and has been criticized as a poor postseason manager. In 1998, the Giants finished the season tied for the Wild Card playoff position but lost the National League Wild Card tiebreaker game to the Chicago Cubs. The 2002 postseason was the only time in his managerial career with the Giants that he won a postseason series. The 2003 NLDS with the Cubs was only his third series win, and he never got past the Division Series in any of his next five postseason appearances with the Reds or Nationals. From 2003 to 2017, Baker-managed teams lost 10 straight postseason "close-out" games in which they had the opportunity to advance to the next round of the playoffs.[56]

Dusty has presided over some of the biggest collapses in baseball history.[57] In 1993, his Giants led the National League West by 9+1⁄2 games on August 7, but ended up losing the division to the Atlanta Braves and missing the postseason. The Giants lost 12–1 on the final day of the season when a win could have forced a tiebreaking game with Atlanta for the division championship. In 2002, the Giants led the World Series against the Anaheim Angels 3 games to 2. San Francisco had a 5–0 lead in the seventh inning of the sixth game but allowed the Angels to score six unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings to win. The Angels also won Game 7 to win the championship. In 2003, Baker's Cubs led the National League Championship Series 3 games to 1 against the Florida Marlins. The Marlins stormed back to win the final three games of the series, including overcoming a 3-0 Chicago lead with 8 runs in the eighth inning of Game 6. The loss in that game was blamed in part on poor managing, leaving starter Mark Prior in the game when he had already thrown over 100 pitches instead of going to his bullpen. In 2012, Baker's Reds led the National League Division Series 2 games to 0 against the San Francisco Giants. With the final three games of the series at home in Cincinnati, the Reds needed to win just once to advance to the National League Championship Series, but the Giants completed the comeback by winning games 3, 4, and 5 and went on to win the World Series. The Reds also suffered a six-game losing streak to end the 2013 season, including a loss in the Wild Card game at Pittsburgh. Baker was fired by the Reds shortly afterwards. Reds general manager Walt Jocketty admitted the team's latest collapse played a role in the decision to fire Baker.[58] In his time with the Astros, Baker has won three of four games when facing elimination winning four of seven in which one side was facing elimination. On October 22, 2021, Baker's Astros won the American League pennant, doing so in a dramatic comeback where they had lost two of the first three games to the Boston Red Sox (who had hit three grand slams in Game 2 and 3 combined) before winning three in a row to advance to the 2021 World Series. The nineteen-year gap between World Series appearances in the second longest all-time between managers (with the only greater one being Bucky Harris).[59]

Managerial record[edit]

As of games played on October 22, 2021
Team Year Regular season Postseason
Games Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
SF 1993 162 103 59 .636 2nd in NL West – – –
SF 1994 115 55 60 .478 2nd in NL West No postseason due to players strike
SF 1995 144 67 77 .465 4th in NL West – – –
SF 1996 162 68 94 .420 4th in NL West – – –
SF 1997 162 90 72 .556 1st in NL West 0 3 .000 Lost NLDS (FLA)
SF 1998 163 89 74 .546 2nd in NL West – – –
SF 1999 162 86 76 .531 2nd in NL West – – –
SF 2000 162 97 65 .599 1st in NL West 1 3 .250 Lost NLDS (NYM)
SF 2001 162 90 72 .556 2nd in NL West – – –
SF 2002 161 95 66 .590 2nd in NL West 10 7 .588 Lost World Series (ANA)
SF total 1,555 840 715 .540 11 13 .458
CHC 2003 162 88 74 .543 1st in NL Central 6 6 .500 Lost NLCS (FLA)
CHC 2004 162 89 73 .549 3rd in NL Central – – –
CHC 2005 162 79 83 .488 4th in NL Central – – –
CHC 2006 162 66 96 .407 6th in NL Central – – –
CHC total 648 322 326 .497 6 6 .500
CIN 2008 162 74 88 .457 5th in NL Central – – –
CIN 2009 162 78 84 .481 4th in NL Central – – –
CIN 2010 162 91 71 .562 1st in NL Central 0 3 .000 Lost NLDS (PHI)
CIN 2011 162 79 83 .488 3rd in NL Central – – –
CIN 2012 162 97 65 .599 1st in NL Central 2 3 .400 Lost NLDS (SF)
CIN 2013 162 90 72 .556 3rd in NL Central 0 1 .000 Lost NLWC (PIT)
CIN total 972 509 463 .524 2 7 .222
WSH 2016 162 95 67 .586 1st in NL East 2 3 .400 Lost NLDS (LAD)
WSH 2017 162 97 65 .599 1st in NL East 2 3 .400 Lost NLDS (CHC)
WSH total 324 192 132 .593 4 6 .400
HOU 2020 60 29 31 .483 2nd in AL West 8 5 .615 Lost ALCS (TB)
HOU 2021 162 95 67 .586 1st in AL West 9 7 .563 Lost World Series (ATL)
HOU total 222 124 98 .559 17 12 .586
Total[60] 3,722[b] 1,987 1,734 .534 40 44 .476

Baseball career accomplishments[edit]

  • First manager in major league history to lead five different teams to division titles[39]
  • Ninth manager to win both an AL pennant and an NL pennant[39]

Broadcasting career[edit]

Baker served as an ESPN analyst during the 2006 MLB postseason and served in a similar role during the 2007 season.[61][62] In 2015, Baker joined TBS as a studio analyst for the final two weeks of their regular season coverage and for their coverage of the National League playoffs.[63]

Personal life[edit]

Baker was a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve from 1969 through 1975.[64] Baker has a wife, Melissa, and two children; Natosha (born 1979), from his first marriage and Darren (born 1999). Darren was rescued by J. T. Snow from being run over at home plate as a batboy during the 2002 World Series.[65] In 2017, Darren was drafted in the 27th round of the MLB draft by the team his father managed at the time, the Washington Nationals.[66] As of 2020, Darren is an infielder for the California Golden Bears.[67] Baker and his family reside in Granite Bay, California.[68] Near the end of the 2012 baseball season, Baker was hospitalized for both an irregular heartbeat and a "mini-stroke."[69]

For a period of time, Baker had troubles with the Internal Revenue Service, who had determined that his investments in tax shelters for a number of years (as guided by his brother Victor) was to be disallowed, which would have resulted in penalties of at least a million dollars with interest. When managing the Giants, the IRS garnished his paychecks, leaving him with less than a percent of his $900,000 salary to live on a month; around the time of negotiating his contract in 1999, Magowan loaned him money in case he needed to deal with the IRS, which Baker repaid later. With the help of a tax crisis lawyer (over the course of several years), the issue was resolved, roughly around the time the news was broken by the media in late 2002.[70][71][72]

Baker is a member of the National Advisory Board for Positive Coaching Alliance, a national non-profit organization committed to providing student-athletes with a positive, character-building youth sports experience.[73] Baker has appeared in several videos and webinars for this organization, all of which can be found on the group's YouTube channel.[74] Dusty is also owner of Baker Family Wines, along with owner and winemaker Chik Brenneman.[75] Baker was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2018, Baker returned to the Giants organization as a Special Advisor to the CEO.[76]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ As stated by Baker, his middle initial is "Just B. My dad was raised in the South. Southern people would go by J.B. or J.C., and we were raised Southern-style."[1]
  2. ^ Baker also managed a game that ended in a tie on August 15, 2002

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Easy Rider". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "Baker on son: 'He's kept me young'". mlb.com. June 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "Everything you need to know about Astros manager Dusty Baker". January 30, 2020.
  4. ^ "Easy Rider After a rebellious youth that put him at odds with his father and his country, Giants manager Dusty Baker is cruising through middle age".
  5. ^ Joe Davidson. "Hometown Report: Father's lessons helped Baker aspire to greatness". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on January 8, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  6. ^ "Dusty Baker's Time is Now".
  7. ^ "Sports Heroes Who Served: Baseball Legend Dusty Baker Served in Marine Corps".
  8. ^ "Dusty Baker". February 9, 2021.
  9. ^ "1981 World Series - Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-2)". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. ^ "The High Five"
  11. ^ a b Jon Mooallem. "The history and mystery of the high five", ESPN, July 29, 2011
  12. ^ McDermott, Mark (June 27, 2015). "Area baseball beat: Will Dusty Baker make Hall of Fame?". Sacramento Bee.
  13. ^ "Crasnick: Reds' Baker a complex individual". July 13, 2012.
  14. ^ "MIMSBANDZ: The Portrait Wristbands Worn by 90s Legends (Bonds, Strawberry, Ozzie, Griffey...) ARE BACK". March 2, 2015.
  15. ^ "It's all yours, Dusty". Chicago Tribune.
  16. ^ Jenkins, Bruce (September 22, 1997). "Season of 'Dustiny' In One Bizarre Play / Fly ball-turned-homer symbolizes Giants' magic". San Francisco Chronicle.
  17. ^ Schulman, Henry (December 9, 2002). "Six weeks later, loss in Series still throbs / Pain of defeat stays with Giants". San Francisco Chronicle.
  18. ^ Schulman, Henry (November 7, 2002). "Tell Him Goodbye / Giants drop Baker after his feud with owner". San Francisco Chronicle.
  19. ^ a b c d "Dusty Baker". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  20. ^ "Cubs vs. Expos - Game Recap - August 30, 2004 - ESPN".
  21. ^ "Reds give Dusty Baker a three-year deal". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2007.
  22. ^ (2010-09-29) "Reds, Rays and Yanks Punch Playoff Tickets", CBS News. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  23. ^ "Reds give manager Dusty Baker a two-year extension". Sporting News. October 4, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  24. ^ Perry, Dayn (September 19, 2012). "Reds' Dusty Baker hospitalized with irregular heartbeat". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  25. ^ Snyder, Matt (October 15, 2012). "Reds, Dusty Baker agree to two-year contract extension". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  26. ^ "Reds dismiss manager Dusty Baker". ESPN.com. October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  27. ^ Sheldon, Mark (October 22, 2013). "Reds tab Price to be their new manager". MLB.com.
  28. ^ a b Friedrich, Howard (November 3, 2015). "Washington Nationals hire Dusty Baker as manager". Toronto Star. Associated Press. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  29. ^ Adams, Steve (October 20, 2017). "Dusty Baker Will Not Return As Nationals' Manager In 2018". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  30. ^ "Dusty Baker references Phillies rejection after ALCS victory – Phillies Nation".
  31. ^ "Astros hire Dusty Baker to short-term deal as new manager". ESPN.com. January 29, 2020.
  32. ^ "Dusty Baker, Astros agree to contract to be next manager - Sports Illustrated". www.si.com.
  33. ^ Axisa, Mike (September 26, 2020). "Dusty Baker becomes first MLB manager to lead five different teams to postseason". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  34. ^ "15 intriguing stats, facts from ALCS Game 6".
  35. ^ "Astros pick up Dusty Baker's contract option for 2021 season". Sports Illustrated. ABG-SI LLC. July 28, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  36. ^ "2020 Major League Baseball managers". Baseball-Reference.com.
  37. ^ McTaggart, Brian (April 22, 2021). "Javier fans career-high 9 in rotation return". MLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  38. ^ "McCullers leads Astros over Rays 9–2, 1st meeting since ALCS". ESPN. Associated Press. April 30, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  39. ^ a b c d Langs, Sarah (October 23, 2021). "He's back! 7 incredible facts on Dusty in WS". MLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  40. ^ Young, Matt (October 6, 2021). "Details behind the longtime feud between Dusty Baker, Tony La Russa: The Astros, White Sox managers have a long history with each other". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  41. ^ "Twitter".
  42. ^ "Back again: Dusty Baker gets contract from Houston Astros for 2022". Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  43. ^ "Notes: Cedeno reacquainted with short". Chicago Cubs. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  44. ^ Lindbergh, Ben. "You Can't Neutralize Stupid: Why Dusty Baker Might Not Get Another Job". deadspin.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  45. ^ a b Sullivan, Jeff (November 3, 2015). "Dusty Baker Is Not a Bad Hire | FanGraphs Baseball". Fan Graphs. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  46. ^ Dusty Baker and Pitch Counts – The Hardball Times
  47. ^ Prior, Mark (August 4, 2016). "Mark Prior: I have no regrets, no one to blame". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
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External links[edit]

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