| Dusty Baker | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Baker with the San Francisco Giants in 1991 | |||||||||||||||
| Outfielder /Manager | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1949-06-15)June 15, 1949 (age 76) Riverside, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
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 runs | 242 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 1,013 | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial record | 2,183–1,862 | ||||||||||||||
| Winning % | .540 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
As player
As manager
As coach | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Johnnie B "Dusty"Baker Jr.[a][3] (born June 15, 1949) is an American former professional baseballoutfielder andmanager inMajor League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with theLos Angeles Dodgers. During his Dodgers tenure, he was a two-timeAll-Star, won twoSilver Slugger Awards and aGold Glove Award, and became the firstNLCS MVP, which he received for his performance during the1977 National League Championship Series. He also made threeWorld Series appearances and was a member of the1981 World Series championship team. Outside of the Dodgers, Baker played for theAtlanta Braves,San Francisco Giants, andOakland Athletics.
After retiring as a player, Baker served as the manager of the Giants from 1993 to 2002, theChicago Cubs from 2003 to 2006, theCincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2013, theWashington Nationals from 2016 to 2017, and theHouston Astros from 2020 to 2023. Baker was namedNL Manager of the Year three times with the Giants and won the2022 World Series with the Astros. He was also 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. Baker ranks seventh in MLB managerial wins and has the most wins among African American managers. Following his retirement as a manager, Baker joined the Giants' front office.[4] He was also named the manager ofTeam Nicaragua for the2026 World Baseball Classic.
Baker grew up inRiverside, California, as the oldest of seven 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 atNorton Air Force Base. Baker played a variety of sports growing up, describing basketball as his very first love while also playing sports such as baseball, with his father being his coach forLittle League, although this did not stop the elder Baker from kicking his son off of teams because of his tantrums. When the younger Baker wanted to quit baseball and have a paper route, his father told him that he did not raise a son who was a quitter as a way to try to encourage him to spin his attitude in a positive direction.[5] In 1963, when Dusty was 14 years old, the Baker family moved toCarmichael, California, where his father worked atMcClellan Air Force Base.[6][7] Baker grew up as a fan of theLos Angeles Dodgers and describedTommy Davis as his hero, but the signing ofBobby Bonds in 1968 made him a fan of theSan Francisco Giants.[8]
Baker excelled in baseball, basketball, football, and track atDel Campo High School inCarmichael, California; and he was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section's Hall of Fame class in 2010 for his play at Del Campo.[9] He was offered a basketball scholarship bySanta Clara University. His father was so committed to his son going to college that he told scouts that his son would go to college and play either football or basketball, so they wouldn't waste a draft pick on Baker. The one scout who saw something in Baker wasBill Wight, as he knew that Baker's father and mother had gone through a divorce that worried Baker about being a potential burden to his parents.
Baker was drafted by theAtlanta Braves in the 1967 amateur draft. On June 19 of that year, the Braves taskedHank Aaron to try to influence Baker to sign with the team, with Aaron 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 Baker would be in the majors before his college class graduated.[10] Baker decided to sign with the team to the anger of his father, who sued to nullify the contract (and the $15,000signing bonus), which led to a decision where the State of California appointed a trustee over his finances until his 21st birthday. Baker did not speak to his father for three years.
As anoutfielder, Baker played his first baseball games in theTexas League in Austin in the AA classification, playing nine games in 1967. He then played in theWestern Carolinas League and theFlorida State League (mostly in the former) before playing six games in the majors the following year.[11] It was also during the year that Baker would serve in theMarine Corps Reserve as a motor transport mechanic for six years.[12]
Baker made his debut as a call-up on September 7, 1968, against theHouston Astros. He went 0-for-1, and he appeared in five other games that year and collected two hits.[13] He played in the minors for most of the next three seasons, playing just 45 games for the major league Braves during that time while batting over .300 for the Triple-ARichmond Braves in 1970 and 1971. Finally, Baker made the roster for Opening Day in 1972 to get a true start to his major league career. He played in 127 games while batting .321 (third best in theNational League) with 143 hits, seventeen home runs and 76 runs batted in (RBI); he received votes for Most Valuable Player, finishing 22nd.[14][15] It was during the 1970s that Baker played for theYaquis de Obregón of theMexican Pacific League in the offseason, stating it was the toughest league that he ever played in professionally.[16] The following year, he would play in 159 games (a career high) and batted .288 while collecting 174 hits with 101 runs, 21 home runs, and 99 runs batted in with 24 stolen bases (the latter two were career highs). He played two further seasons with the Braves, batting over .255 in each as the center fielder, but it was a moment on April 8, 1974, that earned him a place in history. On that day Baker batted fifth in the lineup behindHank Aaron. In the fourth inning, with Baker on deck, Aaron hit a shot to left field offAl Downing for his 715th home run to passBabe Ruth in career home runs.[17] After expressing a desire to be traded upon the closure of the 1975 season, Baker was traded along withEd Goodson from theBraves to theLos Angeles Dodgers forJerry Royster,Tom Paciorek,Lee Lacy andJimmy Wynn on November 17, 1975.[18]
Many of Baker's accomplishments as a player would come during his time with theLos Angeles Dodgers, where he spent the next eight seasons. His tenure began in 1976 with a meager .242 batting average in 112 games that saw him collect just 93 hits with 39 RBIs while suffering a problem with his stretched knee ligaments that required surgery after the season ended.[19] However, he bounced back in 1977 by playing in 153 games that saw him bat .291 with 155 hits, thirty home runs and 86 runs batted in. It is believed that Baker played an integral part in the first-everhigh five, which occurred between Baker and Dodgers teammateGlenn Burke on October 2, 1977, atDodger Stadium, a story featured in theESPN30 for 30 documentaryThe High Five (2014), directed by Michael Jacobs.[20][21]
"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, andReggie 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. 'So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do.'"[21]
Baker would see the postseason for the first time in his career as the Dodgers won theNational League West that season. The Dodgers faced thePhiladelphia Phillies in theNLCS. Baker proved key in Game 2 when he hit agrand slam in the fourth inning to break a 1–1 tie that the Dodgers won 7–1.[22][23] His second and last home run of the series proved just as important, as he hit a two-run shot offSteve Carlton in the second inning of Game 4 in a game the Dodgers won 4–1 to clinch the National League pennant. In total, he went 5-of-14 (.357) while driving in eight runs. For his efforts, he was awarded the first-everNational League Championship Series (NLCS) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. The Dodgers faced theNew York Yankees in the1977 World Series. Baker collected one home run in the series (Game 3) while going 7-for-24 (.292) with five runs batted in, but the Dodgers lost the Series in six games. In the 1978 season, he batted .262 while collecting 137 hits. The Dodgers and Phillies met up for a rematch. The result would be the same, as the Dodgers won the pennant in four games, and Baker went 7-of-15 (.467) with one run batted in.[24] In the1978 World Series, they met the Yankees again, with the same result for Baker and the Dodgers (complete with him hitting only one home run) as he batted .238 in the six-game loss.[25]
Baker batted .274 in 1979 before improving in 1980 with heightened contact, as he batted .294 with 170 hits, 29 home runs, and 97 RBIs. He finished fourth in MVP voting while winning theSilver Slugger Award.[26] The 1981 season was shortened by a strike that saw a first and second half division champion, but Baker and the Dodgers were not slowed down. He played in 103 games and batted a career-high .320 with 128 hits and 49 RBIs that saw him named to his firstAll-Star Game. He was also awarded theSilver Slugger Award and theGold Glove Award while finishing seventh in MVP voting. The Dodgers won the first-half NL West title and thus were matched against the second-half champion in theHouston Astros. Baker batted .167 in theDivision Series, but the Dodgers won in five games. In theChampionship Series against theMontreal Expos, he batted .316 with three runs batted in as the Dodgers won in a closely contested five-game series to win their third pennant in four years. Facing theNew York Yankees in the1981 World Series, Baker batted just .167 with one run batted in, but the Dodgers won in six games to win the title.[27][28][29] The following year, Baker batted .300 in 147 games with 171 hits, 23 home runs and 88 RBIs to make his second and final All-Star Game. He closed out his Dodgers career in 1983 by batting .260 with 138 hits; curiously, this was the first season since 1975 where he drew more walks than strikeouts (in this case walking a career-high 72 times with 59 strikeouts). In theNLCS, he batted .357 while hitting a home run for his fifth and final career postseason home run; the Dodgers lost in four games.[30][31]
He became a free agent after the season and signed with theSan Francisco Giants for the 1984 season. He played 100 games that year and batted .292 with 71 hits and three home runs.
He was traded to theOakland Athletics on March 24, 1985, for two minor league players. While he would play the outfield during his time there, he also played first base at times, playing 61 games of his tenure at the position while also serving as adesignated hitter for 28 total games. He played 111 games in 1985 and batted .268 with fourteen home runs and 52 RBIs. He played sparingly for his final season in 1986 with 83 games and a .240 batting average. He appeared in his final game on October 4, 1986, against theKansas City Royals; he went 0-for-1 with two walks before being taken out for a pinch-runner in the seventh inning.[32] While the Athletics offered to send him down to Triple-A for the 1987 season, Baker elected for free agency instead and subsequently retired.
In a career that spanned nineteen years, Baker played in 2,039 games while collecting 1,981 hits, 242 home runs, and 1,013 runs batted in while never going on the disabled list.[33] Baker is noted for his love of toothpicks, saying, "Toothpicks are an excellent source of protein" while chewing at least one every game.[34] He also uses the toothpick as a way to deter the use ofchewing tobacco, which he used as a player. In his final season of 1986, he began wearing a wristband (featuring his face), which he has continued to do as a manager; he has stated it is to help wipe perspiration off his forehead.[35][36][37]
Baker was working as a stockbroker in 1987 when he received a call fromHank Aaron,Joe Morgan, andFrank Robinson to go toDallas, Texas to try to get jobs for minority baseball players after they finished their playing careers, which came in the wake of controversial remarks by Dodgers general managerAl Campanis on April 6, 1987.[b] While in Dallas trying to find jobs for players,Bob Kennedy, senior baseball operations executive for theSan Francisco Giants, told Baker thatAl Rosen, general manager of the Giants, asked to see Baker about a possible job. On the advice of his father, Baker, alongside his brother and daughter, set out toLake Arrowhead to pray and seek guidance to decide whether he should see Rosen and possibly return to baseball. However, while checking into the hotel, Baker encounteredBob Lurie, owner of the Giants, which seemed a sign for Baker to take an opportunity, if offered.[39] When Baker eventually met with Rosen, Rosen stated interest in having him serve as a first base coach, which differed from Baker stating interest in possibly being an assistant general manager because Rosen thought he would be better suited to manage on the field. Baker set out a goal to try and manage within five years or he would step down.[40] Baker's coaching career started as a first base coach for the Giants in1988, and then he spent the following four years (1989–1992) as the hitting coach. In 1992, he managed theScottsdale Scorpions in theArizona Fall League.[41]
In 1992, Giants managerRoger Craig was fired whileBob Quinn was named general manager (the week prior, Rosen resigned) by the new ownership that was led byPeter Magowan.[42] On December 16, 1992, Baker was hired to manage the club, becoming the seventh black manager hired to manage aMajor League Baseball team. He beat out four other candidates inJohn Wathan,Davey Lopes,Tom Trebelhorn, andRon Gardenhire.[43] In his first year as Giants manager, the team had acquiredBarry Bonds the same month Baker was promoted. Baker would win theNL Manager of the Year award (until 2021, he was the only Giant to win the award), leading the team to a 103–59 record. However, it was not enough for a playoff berth. They had led the National League West by9+1⁄2 games on August 7, but they ended up losing the National League West to theAtlanta Braves. 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 (the following year, a Wild Card was instituted in both leagues). It was the second-best record in baseball that year behind the 104–58Atlanta Braves and 31 games better than their 72–90 finish the previous season. He was the first manager sinceSparky Anderson (1970) to win100 games as a rookie manager, and the fourth to do so. 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 in1997, and again in2000; 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 afterTony La Russa, and the first to do so with the same team all three times. His easy-going style of managing led to a description of him as a "player's manager", to where he learned Spanish to try to help relate to his players.[44][45] It was also during his San Francisco tenure that the term "Dustiny" was coined by former Giants pitcherRod Beck.[46] However, the postseason would elude Baker and the Giants, as they fell in the NLDS in 1997 and 2000 while losing a tie-breaker game for the Wild Card spot in1998.
In2002, his Giants won 95 games and clinched the Wild Card by3+1⁄2 games. In the2002 National League Division Series, they faced theAtlanta Braves. The two teams split the first four games before a pivotal Game 5 in Atlanta, which the Giants won 3–1 to deliver their first postseason series victory since1989. The Giants faced theSt. Louis Cardinals (who had beaten theArizona Diamondbacks, the defending champions) in the2002 National League Championship Series. The Giants won the series in five games for their first pennant in thirteen years, winning on a walk-off single byKenny Lofton. They advanced to theWorld Series against theAnaheim Angels, who were managed by his former Dodger teammateMike Scioscia. The teams split the first two games in Anaheim before going to San Francisco. In Game 3, they were routed 10–4, but the Giants responded with a narrow 4–3 victory in Game 4 before a big win in Game 5 by a score of 16–4. The Giants were one victory away from the championship and had two games in Anaheim to do so. The Giants struck first in Game 6, scoring three runs in the fifth inning before adding runs in the sixth and seventh innings to make it 5–0. However, the seventh would start the unraveling of the game; in the inning, starting pitcherRuss Ortiz (who had 98 pitches) allowed consecutive singles after getting one out before Baker pulled him out forFélix Rodríguez.Scott Spiezio came up to the plate and soon hit a shot to right field to narrow the score to 5–3. In the next inning,Darin Erstad hit a leadoff line-drive shot for a home run beforeTim Salmon andGarret Anderson hit singles that made Baker put inRobb Nen (battling a shoulder injury for most of the year) to try and close out the inning without allowing more runs. However, a double byTroy Glaus scored the runners to give the Angels a lead they would not relinquish. The five-run deficit was the largest comeback in an elimination game in the World Series. While the Giants scored first in Game 7, the Angels scored three runs in the third inning to build a cushion on their way to a 4–1 victory.[47]
Despite Baker's success in San Francisco, he had an increasingly strained relationship with ownerPeter Magowan, one that even the Giants' first pennant in 13 years could not mend. The Giants did not renew his contract after the season,[48] letting him leave to manage the Chicago Cubs and hiringFelipe 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.[49]
To date, Baker is one of only four African Americans to manage a World Series team.Cito Gaston was the first, managing theToronto Blue Jays to championships in1992 and1993. Baker was the second, andRon Washington andDave Roberts have since joined Gaston and Baker by managing theTexas Rangers andLos Angeles Dodgers, respectively, to theWorld Series, with Roberts winning championships in2020 and2024. 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.
It was speculated that Baker would be hired by theChicago Cubs as soon as he was let go from the Giants.[50] Cubs general managerJim Hendry interviewed several managers for their open position such asBob Melvin,Ken Macha,Buck Showalter andFredi Gonzalez, but Hendry went with his first name in mind with Baker. On November 15, 2002, he was hired by theChicago Cubs to a four-year deal to manage the team, replacingBruce Kimm, who had taken over whenDon Baylor was fired in the middle of the third 90-loss season in four years.[51]
Baker would make a major impact in his first season as manager for the Cubs in 2003. In July of that year, 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."[52] With the help of an impressive pitching staff and big gun batters such asSammy Sosa andMoisés Alou, theCubs claimed their first division title in fourteen years. Baker led the Cubs to victory over theAtlanta Braves in theNational League Division Series, the first postseason series victory for the team since the1908 World Series. However, the hopes for the Cubs winning aWorld Series title were cut short during the2003 National League Championship Series against theFlorida Marlins. In Game 6, with Chicago, five outs away from the pennant and holding a 3–0 lead, the infamous Steve Bartman foul ball incidentnear the fans in left field would unravel the Cubs and derail the chance for their first 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 Marlins to score eight runs in that eighth inning to win the game 8–3; Cubs playerDoug Glanville also stated that the loss in Game 5 (whereJosh Beckett threw a two-hit shutout) was the true turning point of the series.[53] The Marlins would go on to win Game 7 atWrigley Field on their way to winning the2003 World Series.
In2004, the team was involved in a heatedwild card chase with theHouston Astros but fell out of contention near the season's end, losing six of their last eight games and missing the playoffs by three games. He also received criticism from television analystSteve Stone, who blamed Baker for his players harassing him at team charters and hotels, which Baker waved off as being "grown men". On August 30, Baker won his 1,000th game as manager with a win over theMontreal Expos, doing so in his 1,848th game.[54][55]
In2005, the Cubs lost several of their key players, most notably ace pitchersMark Prior andKerry 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 in2006 as they fell to 66–96[49] and finished last in the entireNational League. 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."[56] This position has made Baker a target among thesabermetric community.[57] It was around this time that Baker came under scrutiny for his tendency to overuse pitchers, such as withKerry Wood andMark Prior. 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.[58] However, the only season where Wood was used for a full season under Baker's tenure was in 2003, in which he pitched 211 innings, which was two innings more than he had pitched in 2002. In the next three seasons, Wood would only pitch a combined total of 226 innings due to injuries before the Cubs decided to try him as a reliever after 2006.[59][60] Additionally, Wood and Prior have been quoted as not blaming Baker for what happened with his career, with Prior stating that he had to balance pitcher use with the decisions required to try and help the Cubs win games. Prior also cited him as an inspiration to stay in the game after he retired from pitching, with Baker describing baseball as a relationship.[61][62]
A month after the 2006 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 toLou Piniella to replace Baker for the2007 season. Baker finished his tenure with a regular-season record of 322 wins and 326 losses and a postseason record of six wins and six losses.[49]
On October 13, 2007, Baker was hired as manager of the Cincinnati Reds, replacing interim managerPete Mackanin.[63] He was the first black manager in Cincinnati Reds history; the Reds hired Baker on the heels of having firedJerry Narron after another losing season (Baker became the fifth Reds manager since the year of 2003), with Baker being the first Reds manager hired with no prior ties to the organization since 1990.[64][65] Baker and the Reds finished 74–88 and 78–84 in2008 and2009, finishing 5th and 4th in theNL Central. In2010, the Reds enjoyed success as one of baseball's breakout teams (which included first basemanJoey Votto being named Most Valuable Player of theNational League), and on September 28, 2010, the Reds won the Central title. This championship led to their first playoff appearance in 15 years.[66] However, the appearance was short-lived as the Reds were swept by thePhiladelphia Phillies in theNLDS. Baker signed a two-year contract extension with the Reds on October 4, 2010.[67]
The Reds won 97 games in 2012 to win the National League Central for the second time in three seasons (only theWashington Nationals won more games than the Reds that year in the NL). In 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.[68] The Reds clinched the2012 Central Division championship in his absence, their second in three years and Baker's fifth as a manager. In the2012 National League Division Series, the Reds faced theSan Francisco Giants. The Reds beat the Giants 5–2 and 9–0 in San Francisco to lead the series heading back to Cincinnati. Game 3 turned out to be a tight affair with the Reds on the wrong side of it, as a bobbled play byScott Rolen led to the winning run by the Giants, and they tied the series with an 8–3 victory in Game 4. In Game 5, the Reds collapse became complete, as the Giants scored six runs in the fifth inning to win 6–4, making them the second team in NLDS history to blow a 2–0 series lead (after1981) and the third team ever to blow a 2–0 lead in a best-of-five series. On October 15, 2012, he signed a two-year contract extension as manager of the Reds.[69]
In 2013, the Reds won ninety games, but it was only good enough for a third-place finish in the division (the Cardinals won the division by seven games), and a five-game losing streak closed out the regular season. As such, they were the second Wild Card team and faced the division rivalPittsburgh Pirates (who won 94 games) inWild Card game. Baker was fired by the Reds three days after the game. The Pirates, making their first postseason appearance since 1992, took the lead in the second inning and never relinquished it, cruising to a 6–2 victory. Reds general managerWalt Jocketty admitted the team's latest collapse played a role in the decision to fire Baker.[70] Baker finished his tenure with a regular season record of 509 wins and 463 losses and a 2–7 postseason record. he was the first full-time Reds manager to finish with a winning record sinceJack McKeon and he is currently the last Reds manager to have a winning record as of 2025[update].[49] On October 22, 2013, he was replaced by Reds pitching coachBryan Price.[71]
In the two year gap between jobs, Baker called multiple franchises looking to fill their respective vacancies, such as theDetroit Tigers, theSeattle Mariners, and theSan Diego Padres, but only the latter even gave him a callback (they later hiredAndy Green).[72]
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; he was hired to replaceMatt Williams after a deal withBud Black fell through.[73] 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.[73] Comments made shortly after his hire raised attention when he suggested hisWashington Nationals should field more players of color as "you've got a better chance of getting some speed with Latin and African-Americans."[74] Baker said of the comments, "I'm not being racist. That's just how it is."[75] The hire came with scrutiny that Baker would overuse pitchers as he was alleged to do before, but it was noted that his prior Reds teams featured players throwing fewer pitches, and some baseball writers have noted that there is no clear link between pitches thrown and injuries suffered.[76][77]
The Nationals won theNL East in Baker's first season with 95 wins (a twelve-game improvement), which was the third time the team had won the NL East in the last five seasons. However, the Nationals lost in theNLDS in five games against theLos Angeles Dodgers after losing Game 4 and Game 5 (in the latter game, the Nationals gave up four runs in the seventh inning in a 4–3 loss). The following season, Baker led the Nationals to another NL East Championship. However, their postseason was once again cut short after losing in the2017 NLDS to theChicago Cubs in five games. Game 5 saw the Nationals lead 4–1 by the time of the second inning, but the game turned wildly in the fifth inning with four runs that were all scored on two outs, which included multiple hits, a passed ball, an error, catcher's interference, and a hit batter. While the Nationals tried to rally, the Cubs prevailed 9–8. The fifth game was the tenth time in fourteen years that a Baker-managed team had lost a "close-out" game with the opportunity to advance to the next round of the playoffs, which was a record; in both NLDS matchups, the Nationals had outscored their opponent but lost the series.[78] On October 20, 2017, the Nationals announced that Baker and his entire coaching staff would not return as the team's manager in 2018.[79][80]
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In 2020, Baker was one of three finalists for thePhiladelphia Phillies job, alongsideJoe Girardi andBuck Showalter, but Girardi got the job.[81][82]
On January 13, 2020, the manager's job for theHouston Astros opened up, asA. J. Hinch was fired in the wake of theAstros sign stealing scandal. Candidates for the role included Showalter,John Gibbons,Joe Espada, andWill Venable. On January 29, Baker became the third manager to be hired after the age of 70 and first sinceJack McKeon. Baker was also the first manager in the two-league era to have coached over 3,000 games in one league before managing a single game in the other, as this was his first managerial job in theAmerican League (AL).[83] His contract was for one year with a club option for a second year.[84]
On July 28, 2020 (four days after the shortened season started), the Astros picked up the 2021 option on Baker's contract.[85][86] On September 25, the Astros clinched a playoff spot as the sixth seed in thepandemic-shortened season. Baker became the first baseball manager to lead five teams to the postseason.[87] He also became the first manager to lead a team that finished under .500 in the postseason to a series win, having beaten both theMinnesota Twins and theOakland Athletics to reach theAL 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 theTampa Bay Rays in seven games after having come back from a 3–0 deficit. 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, although Baker has only won two of those games.[88]
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 theLos Angeles Angels.[89] Four days later, he passedGene Mauch for 13th on the all-time wins list with a 5–2 win over theSeattle Mariners. On April 30, he passedCasey Stengel for 12th all-time with a 9–2 win over theTampa Bay Rays, the teams' first meeting since the previous year's ALCS.[90]
By winning theAL West division, Baker became the first manager in the major leagues to guide five different clubs to division titles.[91] In the playoffs, the Astros first played theChicago White Sox in theAL Division Series (ALDS). The White Sox were led byTony La Russa, whom 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 theNL Central, when La Russa managed theSt. Louis Cardinals, and Baker managed the Cubs and Reds.[92]
The Astros faced theBoston Red Sox in theALCS. On October 22, the Astros won Game 6 of the series to clinchthe pennant, doing so in a dramatic comeback where they had lost two of the first three games to theBoston Red Sox (who had hit three grand slams in Game 2 and 3 combined) before winning three in a row to advance to theWorld Series. The 19-year gap between World Series appearances is the second longest all-time among managers (with the only greater one being byBucky Harris), and Baker became the ninth manager in major league history to win a pennant in both leagues.[91][93] The Astros faced theAtlanta Braves in the Series and lost in six games.
On November 5, 2021, Astros ownerJim Crane announced that Baker had agreed to a one-year extension to manage the club for the2022 season.[94] He had managed over 24 major league seasons.[95] On May 3, 2022, Baker earned his 2,000th win as manager with a 4–0 victory over theSeattle Mariners at home inMinute Maid Park.[96] Coincidentally, both Baker's first win and his 2,000th win involved the father-son tandem of Peñas in the lineup, asGerónimo Peña batted leadoff for theSt. Louis Cardinals versus the Giants on April 6, 1993, and sonJeremy started the May 3 game as shortstop for the Astros.[97] Baker became the twelfth manager and first African American manager to reach the milestone. Baker was named the AL manager in theMLB All-Star Game played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.[98] The Astros won their 90th game of the season on September 11 versus theAngels, giving Baker a 12th season reaching that threshold in wins as manager.[99] On September 19, the Astros clinched the AL West title, Baker's ninth division title as manager. On September 24, the Astros won 11–10 over theBaltimore Orioles, their 100th of the season.[100] It made Baker the fourth manager to have 100-win seasons in both the AL and NL, as Baker had achieved the mark with San Francisco in 1993; Baker went 23 seasons between 100-win seasons, the longest for any manager to have multiple 100-win seasons. On October 2, the Astros won their 104th game, setting a new high in wins for a Baker-managed team.[101] The Astros finished with a 2.90 team ERA, second best in MLB. When asked about what was necessary for good pitching, he stated, "Control, control, control... Everybody talks about velocity all the time, but the velocity without command and control is no good."[102][103]
In the 2022 postseason, the Astros were first matched up against theSeattle Mariners in theALDS. The Mariners scored seven runs by the 7th inning of Game 1 and promptly scored two runs over the next 29 innings as the Astros rallied to win Game 1 and 2 before winning Game 3 in an eighteen-inning scoreless duel 1-0, as the Astros outscored the Mariners 13-9. It was Baker's first-ever LDS sweep as manager, and it guaranteed the Astros a sixth straight appearance in the ALCS. In theALCS against theNew York Yankees, the Astros won narrowly in Games 1, 2, and 4 (with one blowout win in Game 3) to complete a sweep, making them the third team to sweep the LDS and LCS since 1995. The Game 4 win on October 23 clinched the fourth pennant in the last six seasons for the Astros and it was Baker's third pennant as a manager. It was his sixth postseason series victory with Houston, after having won three postseason matchups in his first 22 seasons.
TheWorld Series would culminate a historic run for Baker and his Astros. They finished the year with an ERA of 0.83 that saw relievers allow five total earned runs, doing so with management of high-leverage players such asBryan Abreu andRafael Montero despite having a 1.15 regular season ERA (but high walk rate) inRyne Stanek.[104] On November 3, Baker won his 50th postseason game as manager, becoming only the fourth in MLB history to do so. On November 5, the Astros defeated the NL championPhiladelphia Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series, winning Baker his second World Series and first as a manager. At age 73, he is the oldest manager to win the World Series, surpassingJack McKeon. It was his 28th postseason victory with the Astros, tying him withA. J. Hinch for most playoff wins as an Astro; the Astros went 11–2 in the postseason, becoming the fourth team in the Wild Card era (since 1995) to lose fewer than three times in the playoffs, and Houston never faced elimination at any point in their postseason. Baker won his first World Series title 40 years after winning one as a player, establishing a record for the longest gap between World Series championships by a player/manager in MLB history.[105][106][107] He also became the third African-American manager to win a World Series afterCito Gaston (1992 and1993) andDave Roberts (2020).
Baker passedJoe McCarthy for eighth all-time in wins on June 1,2023, with a 5–2 victory versus theLos Angeles Angels.[108] Baker was named manager of the American League team for theAll-Star Game, played atT-Mobile Park in Seattle. He invited former Dodgers teammateBilly North as an honorary coach, as well as Seattle managerScott Servais, a former Giants teammate, to the coaching staff.[109] On August 9, an 8–2 win overBaltimore earned Baker his 2,159th win as manager to passBucky Harris for sole possession of seventh place all-time.[110] The Astros clinched the AL West on the final day of the season to mark the tenth division title won by a team managed by Baker while making him the first Astros manager to lead a team to the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. They faced the Minnesota Twins in theALDS. The Astros victory in Game 1 of the ALDS gave Dusty Baker his 29th postseason win as the Astros skipper, passingA.J. Hinch to be the winningest postseason manager in Astros history. They beat the Twins to set the Astros up for another trip to theALCS, this time against the Texas Rangers. The ALCS would be noted for the home team losing every game that saw the Rangers rout Houston in Game 7. Baker announced his retirement from MLB on October 25, two days after the series ended.[111]
In July 2025, Baker was announced as the manager of theNicaragua national baseball team for the2026 World Baseball Classic, with the first round of pool play scheduled for from March 6-11, 2026, atLoanDepot Park inMiami, Florida.[112][113] He accepted the job after being approached byMarvin Benard, who previously managed Nicaragua and had played under Baker for seven seasons with the Giants.[114][115]
On January 18, 2024, Baker agreed to a third stint with the Giants in the front office, this time as a Special Advisor to Baseball Operations.[116][117]
| 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 | LostNLDS (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 | LostNLDS (NYM) |
| SF | 2001 | 162 | 90 | 72 | .556 | 2nd in NL West | – | – | – | |
| SF | 2002 | 161 | 95 | 66 | .590 | 2nd in NL West | 10 | 7 | .588 | LostWorld 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 | LostNLCS (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 | LostNLDS (PHI) |
| CIN | 2011 | 162 | 79 | 83 | .488 | 3rd in NL Central | – | – | – | |
| CIN | 2012 | 162 | 97 | 65 | .599 | 1st in NL Central | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostNLDS (SF) |
| CIN | 2013 | 162 | 90 | 72 | .556 | 3rd in NL Central | 0 | 1 | .000 | LostNLWC (PIT) |
| CIN total | 972 | 509 | 463 | .524 | 2 | 7 | .222 | |||
| WSH | 2016 | 162 | 95 | 67 | .586 | 1st in NL East | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostNLDS (LAD) |
| WSH | 2017 | 162 | 97 | 65 | .599 | 1st in NL East | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostNLDS (CHC) |
| WSH total | 324 | 192 | 132 | .593 | 4 | 6 | .400 | |||
| HOU | 2020 | 60 | 29 | 31 | .483 | 2nd in AL West | 8 | 5 | .615 | LostALCS (TB) |
| HOU | 2021 | 162 | 95 | 67 | .586 | 1st in AL West | 9 | 7 | .563 | LostWorld Series (ATL) |
| HOU | 2022 | 162 | 106 | 56 | .654 | 1st in AL West | 11 | 2 | .846 | WonWorld Series (PHI) |
| HOU | 2023 | 162 | 90 | 72 | .556 | 1st in AL West | 6 | 5 | .545 | LostALCS (TEX) |
| HOU total | 546 | 320 | 226 | .586 | 34 | 19 | .642 | |||
| Total[49] | 4,046[c] | 2,183 | 1,862 | .540 | 57 | 51 | .528 | |||
Baker served as anESPN analyst during the 2006 MLB postseason and served in a similar role during the 2007 season.[119][120] In 2015, Baker joinedTBS as a studio analyst for the final two weeks of their regular season coverage and for their coverage of the National League playoffs.[121]
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Baker was a member of theUnited States Marine Corps Reserve from 1969 through 1975.[122] Baker's son,Darren Baker, was rescued byJ. T. Snow from being run over at home plate as abatboy during the2002 World Series.[123] In 2017, Darren was drafted in the 27th round of theMLB draft by the team his father managed at the time, theWashington Nationals.[124] He decided to play as infielder for theCalifornia Golden Bears, and in 2021 he was drafted by the Nationals in the 10th round of the amateur draft, where this time he signed to join the organization. In 2024, Darren made his MLB debut for the Nationals.[125] Baker and his family reside inGranite Bay, California.[126]
In the winter of 2001, Baker was diagnosed withprostate cancer during a routine check-up (his father had been diagnosed with the disease eight years prior). Baker had had surgery in December of that year to remove his prostate (his fears over potentially having the cancer return led him to name his three-year-old son as a batboy to "show him the world").[127][128][129] Near the end of the 2012 baseball season, Baker was hospitalized for both an irregular heartbeat and a "mini-stroke".[130]
For some time, Baker had troubles with theInternal Revenue Service, who had determined that his investments in tax shelters for some years (as guided by his brother Victor) were 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 several years), the issue was resolved, roughly around the time the news was broken by the media in late 2002.[131][132][133]
Baker is a member of the National Advisory Board forPositive Coaching Alliance, a national non-profit organization committed to providing student-athletes with a positive, character-building youth sports experience.[134] Baker has appeared in several videos and webinars for this organization, all of which can be found on the group's YouTube channel.[135] Dusty is also owner of Baker Family Wines, along with owner and winemaker Chik Brenneman.[136] Baker was inducted into theBay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He returned to the Giants organization in 2018 as a Special Advisor to the CEO.[137]
Due to his presence at various moments in baseball history, Baker has been frequently cited as baseball'sForrest Gump equivalent.[138][139][140] These moments include the following:
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month June 1980 July 1983 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
