One of the legends of the game reached an impressive milestone on Tuesday. With a 4–0 victory over the Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros skipper Dusty Baker got his 2,000th career win as a manager. He became the 12th member of the 2,000 managerial wins club. With his 2,000th win, one of the most beloved figures in baseball has cemented his spot as one of the greatest managers in baseball history.
Baker’s 2,000th win went pretty smoothly as Astros pitching kept the Mariners hitters off balance all night. Cristian Javier pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 0.96. The Astros got on the board in the fourth with a solo home run from Yordan Alvarez. Rookie Jeremy Pena added two on a single in the sixth. The final Astros tally came on a solo homer by Jose Altuve, his first since coming off the Injured List.
Baseball Lifer
Baker began his professional career in 1967 after being drafted out of high school by the Atlanta Braves. As a young player, Baker had possibly the best mentor imaginable in Hank Aaron. Aaron made sure that Baker was the best player and person that he could be. Baker played over 2,000 games at the Major League level, finishing his career as a .278 hitter with 242 home runs. He was a two-time All-Star, winning two Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, and the 1977 NLCS MVP with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Baker was also a part of the 1981 World Series-winning Dodgers team.
Managerial Career
Baker began his managerial career in 1993 with the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco won 103 games in his first season, resulting in his first of three Manager of the Year awards. He went on to manage the Giants for a decade, making it to the World Series in 2002, but ultimately falling short of a championship. Baker spent 12 mostly successful seasons managing the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Nationals. However, he did not reach the World Series with these teams.
Quest for a Ring
The veteran manager received another opportunity to manage with the Astros in 2020. With A.J. Hinch being fired in wake of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, Houston needed someone to guide the team through the storm. Baker turned out to be the perfect guy for the job. After falling just short of the World Series in 2020, Baker led the team to the Fall Classic in 2021. Houston gave a strong effort but ultimately lost to the Atlanta Braves in six games. Currently in his third season as the Astros’ manager, the soon-to-be 73-year-old hopes to reach the World Series once again. This time, however, lifting the Commissioner’s Trophy in victory at the end.
There is still a debate as to whether Baker is a Hall of Fame manager. With 2,000 wins, many believe that he is definitely worthy of the honor, even without a championship as manager. However, there are some that believe that you need to win the World Series to be considered a Hall of Fame manager. Regardless of which side of the debate you are on, one thing is for sure, few have had a baseball life like Dusty Baker.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players/Managers Mentioned:
Dusty Baker, Cristian Javier, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve, Hank Aaron, A.J. Hinch
