The Houston Astros’ 5-0 win over the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series Friday gave the Astros a 4-2 series win (completing a comeback from an 1-2 start), and meant they were headed to the World Series. That’s not an unusual recent accomplishment for that franchise, which appeared in the World Series in 2017 (winning in seven games against the Los Angeles Dodgers) and 2019 (losing in seven games to the Washington Nationals) as well as in 2005 (losing in four games to the Chicago White Sox). But one very different thing is with their manager, Dusty Baker, who’s headed back to the World Series for the first time since 2002 (when his San Francisco Giants lost in seven games to the then-Anaheim Angels). As per ESPN Stats and Info, that’s the second-longest gap between World Series appearances by a manager in MLB history:
Dusty Baker wins his 2nd pennant and his first since 2002 with the Giants.
18 seasons (2003-20) between World Series appearances is the 2nd-most for any manager in MLB history.
21 seasons (1926-46) passed between World Series appearances for Bucky Harris. pic.twitter.com/YZgFbfrvLe
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 23, 2021
What’s also remarkable there is that Baker has now won an AL pennant and a NL pennant, putting him in very select company:
Dusty Baker joins an elite group with tonight's win. pic.twitter.com/rVcnK04JIt
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 23, 2021
Baker’s run with these Astros is also unusual, as it’s certainly rare for a team to change managers in the middle of a streak of three World Series appearances in five years. Of course, there’s a lot of context there, with past manager A.J. Hinch (at the helm in 2017 and 2019) suspended by MLB for the 2020 season for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal; Hinch is now with the Detroit Tigers.
Baker was hired to replace Hinch in 2020. And he’s now led the team to two terrific seasons, a 60-29 2020 (with a NLCS loss to the Tampa Bay Rays) and a 95-67 campaign this year. And now he has them in the World Series again. And as MLB’s Sarah Langs noted, he’s piled up a lot of remarkable accomplishments along the way:
Dusty Baker will be 72 years & 133 days old on Tuesday for World Series Game 1, the second-oldest manager to reach the Fall Classic behind only Jack McKeon in 2003 (72 y, 329 d on Game 1)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 23, 2021
Dusty Baker:
78 postseason games, most by anyone to never win a World Series (yet!) and 5th-most postseason games managed overall
1,987 regular-season wins, 12th-most overall and most without a WS title (again…as of now!)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 23, 2021
Between World Series appearances, Dusty Baker managed 54 postseason games (so, from ‘03 CHC thru tonight’s game)
That’s the most postseason games managed between WS games
(h/t @EliasSports)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 23, 2021
Here’s how Baker reacted in a post-game interview on Fox:
"Hey, I'm headed back to the World Series!"
Dusty Baker appreciation post 🙌@astros | #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/jgH6m7GvU0
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 23, 2021
The “I’ve got the greatest guys in the world, thank you guys!” there perhaps shows a lot about Baker, and about the way he’s been able to consistently inspire and get a ton out of a lot of different players. He’s also always been thinking about the game, something he’s shown in his previous broadcasting roles (we spoke to him in 2015 ahead of his time with Turner) as well. And while he does have a World Series ring as a player (with the Dodgers in 1981), it would certainly be cool to see him get one as a manager. We’ll see how that goes when the World Series starts Tuesday.
[The Score; photo from Thomas Shea/USA Today Sports]
