Finally Dusty's Turn: Astros Manager Celebrates That Elusive World Championship

Dusty Baker isn’t into excuses.

His focus is on results.

And if you look at his baseball history, he’s been a winner as a player and as a manager.

In 19 years as a player, he was a two-time All-Star, two-time recipient of a Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove outfielder, the NLCS MVP in 1977, and a part of the Los Angeles Dodgers 1981 World Championship team.

This year is the 12th post-season he has enjoyed as a manager, the third time he has taken a team to the World Series. And it is the first time he has celebrated managing a World Series Championship team, the Astros knocking off NL Champion Philadelphia in six games.

He is the first manager in MLB history to win a division title with five different teams — the Giants (four times), Cubs (once), Reds (three times), Nationals (two times) and Astros (three times).

And on Saturday, at the age of 73, he became the oldest manager of a World Series championship team in MLB history.

He became the 12th manager in history to record 2,000 career victories this season, but he and Bruce Bochy, who recently opted to return to managing with the Texas Rangers, were the only two of the 12 not in the Hall of Fame. Now, Bochy is on his own.

“Dusty’s a baseball lifer,” Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said. “He’s an absolute legend. When he came here in 2020 and (after) we had the whole cheating scandal and we had COVID, he was such a stabilizing force for us. We wish we could have done it a little bit sooner for him. He truly deserves this tonight.”

More than that, though, prior to the 2022 World Championship, Baker’s resume had that one void to fill.

Baker doesn’t take anything for granted. He’s been down this road before, and it had a disappointing ending. He was in the midst of his managerial stint with San Francisco in 2002 when the Giants took a 3-2 World Series lead only to lose Games 6 and 7 to the Angels in their ballpark.

Saturday night in Houston, however, all of that changed.

“He just got us out of the Dust Bowl,” owner Jim Crane said. “He got us to where we need to be. I’m happy for Dusty. He did a great job all year long. The players love him and it’s a great story. What a great career he’s had.”

Many thought a World Championship would open the door for Baker, 73, to retire. He is, after all, the oldest manager of a team that won a World Championship.

Think again. That’s not the Baker way.

“I don’t want to stop now,” he said. “I have always said if I win one, I’ll win two. I don’t want to be a liar.”

That’s the competitor coming out in Baker..