SACRAMENTO, Calif — A hometown name is heading back to the World Series.
Dusty Baker, Sacramento native and manager of the Houston Astros, will face off against the team who drafted him in 1967, the Atlanta Braves in this year's World Series. The Houston Astros hired Dusty Baker on Jan. 29, 2020. Baker, 70, last managed the Washington Nationals from 2016-17.
He is the 19th manager in the Astros franchise's history. Now, close to two years after taking the job, he is managing the team in the 2021 World Series. Game 1 starts just after 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Most Sacramento baseball fans might already be familiar with Baker, but if you don't know him or need a refresher, check these five facts to learn about the Houston Astros' manager.
1. He owns a winery
Baker started a winery in 2013 with winemaker Chik Brenneman. The two started Baker Family Wines in the Bay Area before moving operations to West Sacramento in August 2019.
2. Baker calls Sacramento home
Baker moved to Sacramento with his family when he was young. He considers Sacramento to be his home. Baker went to Del Campo High School and El Campo Highschool. He then went on to American River College until he was drafted to the Atlanta Braves in 1967.
3. Sacramento honored him with a star
Every year, Sacramento places bronze stars on the streets of downtown Sacramento. In 2019, Baker was honored with a star along with Urijah Faber, Summer Sanders and Darrell Corti, whose market sells Baker Family Wines.
4. He won the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers
In 1981, Baker played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the outfield. The LA. Dodgers bested the New York Yankees (4-2) in the 1981 World Series. He played in all six games in the series and went to bat 24 times and had three runs.
5. Baker managed four teams
Before signing with the Astros, Baker managed four teams with a 53% average win percentage. With the Washington Nationals, his win percentage was 59%. His win percentages with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds were 54%, 49%, and 53% respectively. Baker managed teams for 22 years after he retired as a player.
Additional facts about Baker:
- He had a 19-year playing career with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
- During his playing career with the Braves, he played with Henry Aaron, also commonly referred to as Hank Aaron.
- Baker was an All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and World Series winner.
The New York Times recently published an article ahead of Game 1 detailing the history Baker has with the Braves, detailing the close connection and ties he has with the organization and Aaron himself.
“If Henry is watching down, he will enjoy this World Series because of Dusty, above all,” Bud Selig, a former commissioner of Major League Baseball, said by phone on Sunday to the New York Times. “Certainly because of Atlanta, too. But mostly Dusty.”
Road to Game 1 of the World Series
Games 1 and 2 are in Houston before the team hits the road to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4.
Getting to this point, the team defeated the Boston Red Sox in six games.
According to the AP, two of the main stories lines in the series are Baker having a chance to get his first ring as a manager in 24 years of leading a team. The other is that this is Atlanta's chance for their first World Series title since 1995.
Read the full AP story for a schedule of the series and where to watch, click HERE.
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