When Dusty Baker helped the Houston Astros capture a championship on Saturday night, he became only the third Black manager in MLB history to lead a team to a championship. The 73-year-old, who has been chasing the title for 25 years, met with reporters before the game and answered questions about what it would mean to accomplish such a rare feat.
“I don’t think about being an African American manager because I look in the mirror every day and I know what I am,” Baker said according to KHOU 11. “You know what I’m saying? I do know that there’s certain pressure from a lot of people that are pulling for me, especially people of color, and that part I do feel. I hear it every day… and so I feel that I’ve been chosen for this.”
When the Astros clinched the title with a 4-1 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6, Baker also became the oldest manager to win a World Series. The 73-year-old, who has made three trips to the World Series as a manager, also won the title as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981.
Baker also became the 12th manager in major league history to reach 2,000 wins.
“I got 2,000 wins and all they talk about is I haven’t won the World Series yet,” he told reporters on Thursday.
The other two Black managers who have won a World Series are Dave Roberts (Dodgers, 2020) and Cito Gaston (Blue Jays, 1992, 1993).
