Dusty Baker Makes MLB History As The Oldest Manager to Win a World Series Title
After 25 major league seasons and two shots at the World Series, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is finally a world champion manager. And according to The New York Post, Baker is also the oldest to ever do it! The 73 year old lead the Astros in its 4-1 victory over the Phillies in Game 6 on Saturday night, making him the oldest manager to ever shepherd a team to the title.
“Dusty has been unbelievable since Day 1,” Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said. “He’s been an unbelievable manager, an unbelievable human being just on a personal level with every person in our clubhouse, he loves the game of baseball, he has dedicated his life to this game and he deserves it. He’s an unbelievable manager and unbelievable man.”
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Baker was hired in 2020 to stabilize the team after the unfortunate sign stealing scheme of 2017 that caused the Astros former manager A.J. Hinch to lose his job. Baker almost brought home the win last season before succumbing to the Braves.
“I have thought about [winning the World Series] a lot,” Baker said. “I tried to have faith and perseverance and knowing with the right team and right personnel you knew this was going to happen.”
“Had this happened years ago, I might not even be here. So maybe it wasn’t supposed to happen so that I could hopefully influence a few young men’s lives and their families and a number of people in the country through showing what perseverance and character can do for you in the long run.”
Baker also shared that the team was motivated by the 2017 controversy, along with the losses they suffered to the Nationals and the Braves in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
“I think that’s what drove this team,” Baker said. “That’s what motivated them. The boos and the jeers that we got all over the country, it bothered these guys, but it also motivated them at the same time. And it wasn’t an ‘us against the world’ thing. It was more of a ‘come together even closer’ type thing. And what happened before, it doesn’t ever pass over completely. But we have turned the page and hopefully we’ll continue this run.”
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