2/27/2023 0 Comments Link it charmsBaker told those stories in the foreword of my book published earlier this year called “The Real Hank Aaron: An Intimate Look at the Life and Legacy of the Home Run King.” When he signed his first Major League contract in 1967 to play outfield for the Atlanta Braves, he was unofficially adopted by future Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron.Īmong other things, Aaron urged Baker to attend church regularly, eat right and never do anything to embarrass himself as a Black man with a high profile. That’s when it hit me.”īaker is a devout Christian who surely knows that the Bible is filled with verses counseling patience. “It hit me as soon as that ball that (Alvarez) hit over the moon out there. “Oh, it’s hit me alright,” the oldest manager ever to win a World Series said, his face beaming with his contagious smile. Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker says it 'looks bad' that the 2022 World Series will have zero African American players (12) answers questions from the press at Minute Maid Park. Houston, TX, USA Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr. Worst of all was 2002, when Baker’s Giants led 5-0 in Game 6 of the best-of-seven World Series against the Anaheim Angels going into the bottom of the 7th, but somehow the Giants failed to win the championship.īut this time, as Baker stood with others from the Astros organization atop the victory stage, fans still screaming with glee, somebody asked Baker over the PA system if the whole thing had hit him yet. Most of those Baker-led teams ended their postseason in disaster. He is the only manager to lead five different teams to the playoffs after winning division titles: the San Francisco Giants, the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Washington Nationals and the Astros. No manager in baseball history had won as many career regular season games (2,093) as this 73-year-old eternal optimist, but until Saturday’s win, Baker had never earned a World Series ring. With your Astros winning 4-1 Saturday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston, you ended this World Series in Game 6 over the Philadelphia Phillies, and showed those facing adversity over the course of years (and years and years) that the answer is perseverance.Īnd you proved that a team can win guided by a leader with a positive attitude and a sense of humor – and maybe with the help of a great bullpen, a splendid defense and a slugger like Yordan Alvarez slamming pitches into the other side of the solar system.Īctually, Alvarez’s three-run homer in the sixth inning traveled only 450 feet over the huge structure behind the center-field fence called the “batter’s eye.” That pushed the Astros from a 1-0 deficit to a 3-1 lead, en route to Baker’s first world championship in his 25th season as a Major League manager. You’re an icon, with your ever-present toothpick-in-mouth and wristbands on both arms, exuding charisma just by breathing.
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