Dusty Baker
Johnnie B "Dusty" Baker Jr. is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He played in MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers. During his Dodgers tenure, he was a two-time All-Star, won two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove Award, and became the first NLCS MVP, which he received for his performance during the 1977 National League Championship Series. He also made three World Series appearances and was a member of the 1981 World Series championship team. Outside of the Dodgers, Baker played for the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics.
After retiring as a player, Baker served as the manager of the Giants from 1993 to 2002, the Chicago Cubs from 2003 to 2006, the Cincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2013, the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2017, and the Houston Astros from 2020 to 2023. Baker was named NL Manager of the Year three times with the Giants and won the 2022 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. He was also named the manager of Team Nicaragua for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Early life
Baker grew up in Riverside, 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 at Norton 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 for Little 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. In 1963, when Dusty was 14 years old, the Baker family moved to Carmichael, California, where his father worked at McClellan Air Force Base. Baker grew up as a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers and described Tommy Davis as his hero, but the signing of Bobby Bonds in 1968 made him a fan of the San Francisco Giants.Baker excelled in baseball, basketball, football, and track at Del Campo High School in Carmichael, California; and he was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section's Hall of Fame class in 2010 for his play at Del Campo. He was offered a basketball scholarship by Santa 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 was Bill 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.
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
Baker was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1967 amateur draft. On June 19 of that year, the Braves tasked Hank 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. Baker decided to sign with the team to the anger of his father, who sued to nullify the contract, 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 an outfielder, Baker played his first baseball games in the Texas League in Austin in the AA classification, playing nine games in 1967. He then played in the Western Carolinas League and the Florida State League before playing six games in the majors the following year. It was also during the year that Baker would serve in the Marine Corps Reserve as a motor transport mechanic for six years.
Atlanta Braves (1968–1975)
Baker made his debut as a call-up on September 7, 1968, against the Houston Astros. He went 0-for-1, and he appeared in five other games that year and collected two hits. 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-A Richmond 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 with 143 hits, seventeen home runs and 76 runs batted in ; he received votes for Most Valuable Player, finishing 22nd. It was during the 1970s that Baker played for the Yaquis de Obregón of the Mexican Pacific League in the offseason, stating it was the toughest league that he ever played in professionally. The following year, he would play in 159 games and batted.288 while collecting 174 hits with 101 runs, 21 home runs, and 99 runs batted in with 24 stolen bases. 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 behind Hank Aaron. In the fourth inning, with Baker on deck, Aaron hit a shot to left field off Al Downing for his 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth in career home runs. After expressing a desire to be traded upon the closure of the 1975 season, Baker was traded along with Ed Goodson from the Braves to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jerry Royster, Tom Paciorek, Lee Lacy and Jimmy Wynn on November 17, 1975.Los Angeles Dodgers (1976–1983)
Many of Baker's accomplishments as a player would come during his time with the Los 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. 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-ever high five, which occurred between Baker and Dodgers teammate Glenn Burke on October 2, 1977, at Dodger Stadium, a story featured in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary The High Five, directed by Michael Jacobs.Baker would see the postseason for the first time in his career as the Dodgers won the National League West that season. The Dodgers faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. Baker proved key in Game 2 when he hit a grand slam in the fourth inning to break a 1–1 tie that the Dodgers won 7–1. His second and last home run of the series proved just as important, as he hit a two-run shot off Steve 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 while driving in eight runs. For his efforts, he was awarded the first-ever National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player award. The Dodgers faced the New York Yankees in the 1977 World Series. Baker collected one home run in the series while going 7-for-24 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 with one run batted in. In the 1978 World Series, they met the Yankees again, with the same result for Baker and the Dodgers as he batted.238 in the six-game loss.
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 the Silver Slugger Award. 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 first All-Star Game. He was also awarded the Silver Slugger Award and the Gold 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 the Houston Astros. Baker batted.167 in the Division Series, but the Dodgers won in five games. In the Championship Series against the Montreal 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 the New York Yankees in the 1981 World Series, Baker batted just.167 with one run batted in, but the Dodgers won in six games to win the title. 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 the NLCS, he batted.357 while hitting a home run for his fifth and final career postseason home run; the Dodgers lost in four games.
San Francisco Giants (1984)
He became a free agent after the season and signed with the San Francisco Giants for the 1984 season. He played 100 games that year and batted.292 with 71 hits and three home runs.Oakland Athletics (1985–1986)
He was traded to the Oakland 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 a designated 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 the Kansas City Royals; he went 0-for-1 with two walks before being taken out for a pinch-runner in the seventh inning. 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. Baker is noted for his love of toothpicks, saying, "Toothpicks are an excellent source of protein" while chewing at least one every game. He also uses the toothpick as a way to deter the use of chewing tobacco, which he used as a player. In his final season of 1986, he began wearing a wristband, which he has continued to do as a manager; he has stated it is to help wipe perspiration off his forehead.