In a win against the Seattle Mariners last night, Houston Astros’ manager Dusty Baker made history and became the first Black manager to win 2,000. He’s the 12th manager overall to reach that milestone.
Although he couldn’t beat my team in the World Series last year (yes I’m still celebrating and yes I refuse to use their name).
This career milestone comes nearly 29 years after his first major league win on April 6, 1993, as a coach of the San Francisco Giants, according to ESPN.
Players on the Astros gifted Baker a bottle of vintage Dom Perignon champagne that every player signed with a gold marker to celebrate the career milestone. The bottle of champagne was next to him while he was at his postgame press conference.
After the final out, Baker said, according to ESPN, “I’m probably one of the luckiest men to ever walk on this earth.”
While the 72-year-old Baker has found instant success with the Astros, going to the World Series last year and making it to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) two years ago, he has had a tumultuous career.
His managerial career started in 1993 with the San Francisco Giants, where he led the team to the 2002 World Series where they lost in seven games to the Anaheim Angels.
He was also the manager for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals before coming to the Astros in 2020.
Baker is also one of nine managers to win pennants in both the American League and National League and his 40 career postseason wins are tied for eighth all-time.
His case for the Baseball Hall of Fame should not be in question at all. Although he has never captured a World Series, his accomplishments should speak for themselves.