“I’m just going to enjoy today and I’m sure it will be taken care of.”īaker went through his normal routine before coming to the ballpark Saturday. “I ain’t worried about none of that,” he said. When the fact that Baker’s future is uncertain because he isn’t under contract for next season was raised, he interjected before the question could be finished. Hammerin’ Hank would certainly have been proud to see his buddy finally reach this milestone since Baker was by his side for his biggest one.īaker was on deck and among the Braves congregated at the plate to celebrate with Aaron on April 8, 1974, when he hit his 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth for most all-time. “He was probably rooting for the Braves last year,” Baker said last month.

He joked that he probably didn’t have Aaron on his side last year against his Braves, but that things should be different this time around. The Astros squeaked into the postseason as a wild-card team before heating up in playoffs to come one win shy of reaching the World Series.īaker made his return to the Series last season but came up short again as Houston fell to Atlanta in six games.īaker was lifelong friends with Aaron, who died in January 2021 at 86. Bruce Bochy (2,003), who isn’t yet eligible, is the only exception.īaker took over for the 2020 COVID-19-shortened season. Ten of the 11 other managers who have accumulated at least 2,000 wins are in the Hall of Fame. “So this has kind of been the story of my life where people tell me what you can’t do or even now, I won a bunch of games, my teams won a bunch of games, and all I hear about is what you don’t do, you don’t like this or you don’t like young players, you can’t handle pitchers, you can’t, and I’m like, well, damn, what did I do? After awhile I quit listening to folks telling me what I can’t do.”īaker is the 12th manager in major league history to reach 2,000 wins and the first Black man to do it.

“I’ve had some ups and downs, some disappointments, you know? But those disappointments make you stronger or they break you,” Baker said. Saturday night several fans proudly displayed signs that read “Do it 4 Dusty.” While beloved across the game, he quickly became a fan favorite in Houston. Baker helped clean up the team’s image after that and some begrudgingly began rooting for the Astros because they admired him.

He helped the Astros to their second World Series title and first since the scandal-tainted one in 2017 that made Houston the most hated team in baseball.

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