Dusty Baker
From Sports Library
| Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder, Manager | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 7, 1968 for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Final game | |
| October 4, 1986 for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Career statistics | |
| AVG | .278 |
| HR | 242 |
| RBI | 1,013 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. (born June 15, 1949 in Riverside, California) is a former outfielder and former manager in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.
Contents |
Playing career
Dusty Baker started his professional baseball career as an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves in 1968. After spending sixteen full seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics, Dusty finished his prosperous career as a player with .278 batting average, 242 home runs, and 1,013 runs batted in. Furthermore, a few of Dusty’s accomplishments as a player include playing for the National League All-Star team in 1981 and 1982, winning three League Championship series in 1977, 1978, and 1981. Baker ultimately won a World Series title in 1981 with the Dodgers. Dusty Baker also earned a spot as a footnote in history. On April 8, 1974, Baker was on deck when Hank Aaron hit home run 715 to pass Babe Ruth in career home runs.
Managerial career
San Francisco Giants
In 1993, Baker returned to the professional baseball scene once again as manager for the San Francisco Giants. In his time at San Francisco, he lead them to two divisional titles (1997 and 2000). In 2002, his Giants gained the Wild-Card berth and from there advanced to the World Series, where they lost to the Anaheim Angels. Despite Baker’s success in San Francisco, he left the Giants’ organization in 2003, to manage the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs
Dusty made a major impact with the Cubs in his first season as manager for the ball club. With the help of an impressive pitching staff and big gun batters such as Sammy Sosa and Moisés Alou, the Chicago Cubs were able to claim their first divisional title in over a decade. Dusty instantly became an icon in the Chicago sports scene, as a plethora of Cubs fans could be seen sporting “In Dusty We Trusty!” shirts. Unfortunately, the Cubs’ hopes for winning a World Series title were cut short during the 2003 National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins. While angered Cubs fans denounced the defeat as a mere series of unfortunate “mishaps,” the Marlins would go on to claim the 2003 World Series title. Still crushed by defeat, numerous Cubs began to wear humorous T-shirts, which featured the spoonerism, “Muck the Farlins!”.
Following the 2003 season, Dusty would lead the Cubs into a desperate wild card chase. After dropping several crucial games, the team fell out of the Wild Card chase to the Houston Astros. After a disappointing 2004 season, Dusty faced even more disasters in 2005. Injuries to several key players such as Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Nomar Garciaparra rattled the team’s performance, leading them to close out the season with a sub-.500 record. In 2006, Dusty Baker came under much fire by many Cubs fans for allegedly mismanaging his team. As rumors circulated that Dusty’s job was at stake, Cubs’ general manager Jim Hendry announced that Dusty would remain manager for the remainder of the season [1].
Finally, after two unproductive seasons with the Cubs, Baker's contract was not renewed after the 2006 season. On October 2, 2006, he was given the chance to hold a press conference to formally announce his departure. The press conference took place during the noon hour and was broadcast live on several local TV stations and nationally on WGN-TV's noon newscast.
Broadcasting Career
Despite stating that he was interested in landing another managerial position for the 2007 season, Dusty has found no organizations willing to give him that opportunity. He was reported to be a candidate for the San Diego Padres managerial opening.[2]
Dusty served as an ESPN analyst during the 2006 MLB Postseason and has signed a 2-year contract to serve in a similar role during the 2007 and 2008 seasons.[3]
Personal life
Dusty has a wife, Melissa, and two children named Natosha and Darren. Darren was the Giant's batboy during Baker's tenure with the team.
See also
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
(as player)
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
(as manager)
| Preceded by None; inaugural winner |
National League Championship Series MVP 1977 |
Succeeded by Steve Garvey |
| Preceded by Mike Schmidt |
National League Player of the Month June, 1980 |
Succeeded by Bob Horner |
| Preceded by Andre Dawson |
National League Player of the Month July, 1983 |
Succeeded by Mel Hall |
| Preceded by Jim Leyland |
National League Manager of the Year 1993 |
Succeeded by Felipe Alou |
| Preceded by Bruce Bochy |
National League Manager of the Year 1997 |
Succeeded by Larry Dierker |
| Preceded by Jack McKeon |
National League Manager of the Year 2000 |
Succeeded by Larry Bowa |
| Preceded by Roger Craig |
San Francisco Giants Manager 1993–2002 |
Succeeded by Felipe Alou |
| Preceded by Bruce Kimm |
Chicago Cubs Manager 2003-2006 |
Succeeded by Lou Piniella |
| 2003 National League Central Champion Chicago Cubs Starting Lineup: 1. Kenny Lofton CF | 2. Mark Grudzielanek 2B | 3. Sammy Sosa RF | 4. Moises Alou LF | 5. Aramis Ramirez 3B | 6. Eric Karros/Randall Simon 1B | 7. Alex Gonzalez SS | 8. Damian Miller C Starting Pitchers: Mark Prior | Kerry Wood | Carlos Zambrano | Matt Clement | Shawn Estes |
Categories: Baseball managers | Manager of the Year Award | Major league players from California | Major league left fielders | Major league center fielders | National League All-Stars | Atlanta Braves players | Los Angeles Dodgers players | Oakland Athletics players | San Francisco Giants players | Gold Glove Award winners | Chicago Cubs managers | San Francisco Giants managers | African American baseball players | 1949 births | Living people | People from Riverside, California
