Last night, Dusty Baker and the Houston Astros finally did it.
It wasn’t that Houston made the World Series, for they have done that five times (2005, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022).
It wasn’t that the Astros won the World Series, for they did that in 2017.
No, it was that the organization won the World Series for their manager, Dusty Baker, something he’s long worked for and deserved.
Baker has been there before.
Last year, the then 72-year-old Astros manager led the team to the World Series, where they lost to the Atlanta Braves, 4-2.
His last World Series appearance came in 2002 when he led the San Francisco Giants to the Fall Classic, eventually falling to the Angels in seven games.
Last night, Dusty returned to the Game and proved that the third time is indeed a charm.
Baker’s career is filled with history, milestones and interesting facts.
He made his MLB debut as a 19-year-old rookie with the Atlanta Braves in 1968 and played in the League until 1986 when the 37-year-old retired after two seasons with Oakland.
On April 8th, 1974, while with the Braves, Baker was on deck when Hank Aaron hit his history-making 715th homerun, sending him past Babe Ruth for the All-Time home run record.
In 1981, Baker finally won his first World Series title as a member of the Dodgers. He had been with the team during their other two Fall Classic appearances (1977, 1978), where they fell both times to the Yankees.
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