Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is happy.
He just won his first World Series as a skipper, which is significant because he has been an MLB manager since 1993 and has accumulated 2,093 regular season victories.
At 73 years old, you could say Baker has dedicated his entire life to baseball.
“54 years ago, Dusty Baker Jr. was drafted by the @Braves. In 2002, he became the manager of the @Cubs. This year with the @astros, he became the first Black manager in @MLB history to win 2K career games. Now, he’s won his first #WorldSeries as a manager,” the Sports Business Journal tweeted.
54 years ago, Dusty Baker Jr. was drafted by the @Braves.
In 2002, he became the manager of the @Cubs.
This year with the @astros, he became the first Black manager in @MLB history to win 2K career games.
Now, he's won his first #WorldSeries as a manager 🏆 pic.twitter.com/TSBFCMvrU0
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) November 6, 2022
Baker is also one of a few Black managers to win a World Series ring.
These things are significant to him, especially at a time in which there aren’t too many Black skippers in the league.
A Life Involved With Baseball
Baker’s time in baseball, however, did not start when he was drafted by the Braves: it began way earlier than that.
While basketball was his first love, he played baseball at a very young age, even in Little League.
He was a multi-sport high school star and of course baseball was one of those sports.
As an MLB player, Baker was a two-time All-Star, in 1981 and 1982, and won the 1981 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His playing days ended in 1986 and he coached from 1988 to 1992.
In 1993, he got his first managerial opportunity: since then, he has led the San Francisco Giants, the Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago Cubs, the Washington Nationals, and the Astros.
A 2,093-1,790 record, three Manager of the Year awards, three pennants and one World Series victory prove that Baker is one of the best men ever to manage an MLB team.
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