Photo credits: Tony Guiterrez/AP
According to CNN, Dusty Baker has become the first Black Major League Baseball (MLB) team manager to win 2,000 games.
Baker began his career about 30 years ago as a player before becoming a manager and earning his first victory on April 6, 1993, when the Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals. He would go on to keep that winning streak going for the next 25 seasons, becoming the only manager in Major League Baseball history to lead five different teams to the postseason and win division titles with five different teams, including the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and Houston Astros.
After the Astros beat the Seattle Mariners on May 3, 2022, Baker set a career milestone. He became the first Black manager in MLB history to win 2,000 games. Baker is the 12th MLB manager to attain this milestone – with 10 of the prior managers enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the 11th, Bruce Bochy, not yet eligible. In his career, Baker has managed in the World Series twice, first in 2002 with the Giants and the other in 2021 with the Astros.
He was a successful player before becoming a manager, winning an All-Star game, a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger award, an NLCS MVP award, and a World Series championship. Baker, along with Joe Torre, is one of just two players and managers in MLB history to have 1,800 hits and 1,800 wins. He attributes his accomplishment to MLB legends, fans, and even his detractors. Baker’s son Darren reached a milestone in the game on the night of his father’s 2,000th win.
He led the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a 3-2 win against the Bowling Green Hot Rods with a walk-off sacrifice fly.
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