Dusty Baker Leads Astros To "A Wonderful Thing"

By Lily Belcher

Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker looked down at his score card to pencil in the final out of the 2022 World Series before celebrating with his fellow coaches in the dugout. With a fly out to right fielder Kyle Tucker, the Houston Astros became world champs and Baker became the oldest manager to win a championship in the NFL, NHL, NBA or MLB at 73-years old.

Despite his long list of accomplishments and records, this was Baker's first World Series title, making it a special moment for the longtime ball player. He is also the only manager to lead five different teams to the post season and the third Black manager to win the championship title.

“Had this happened years ago, I might not even be here. So maybe it wasn’t supposed to happen so that I could hopefully influence a few young men’s lives and their families and a number of people in the country through showing what perseverance and character can do for you in the long run," said Baker after the win.

The Astros trailed the Phillies 2-1 in the World Series, with a tough 7-0 loss in game three. However, Baker's team was undeterred, stepping onto Citizen's Bank Park for game four poised to make history. Four Houston pitchers combined for the shutout no-hitter, becoming the second team in MLB history to no-hit an opponent in the Fall Classic (Don Larsen tossed a perfect game in 1956).

With the series tying game four victory, the Astros took game five and six in Houston to win their second title in six years in front of their home crowd. Saturday night's 4-1 World Series victory was a result of a four-run bottom of the sixth, including a three run blast by Yordan Alvarez. An RBI single by Christian Vazquez drove in Alex Bregman to secure the Series for Houston.

Amid team celebrations, Baker's individual accomplishments were recognized by fans and players, who have grown to love the skipper's dedication to his team and the game. Players shared anecdotes of Baker's thoughtfulness with gifts in the locker room and fans boasted signs saying "Win 4 Dusty" and similar messages.

"It's a wonderful thing," Baker said simply, with a wide grin.

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