At 76, Dusty Baker is managing again. He’s leading Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic. –Chicago Tribune
MIAMI — Dusty Baker is going to be honored as a member of the Cactus League Hall of Fame on March 14, and he is appreciative of the recognition.
He’s simply hoping that he does not need to attend.
The 76-year-old Baker is managing Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classicand his staff has 4 assured video games on the schedule in Miami — Friday vs. the Dominican Republic, Saturday vs. Netherlands, Sunday vs. Israel and Monday vs. Venezuela.
A few wins, and the Cactus League may need to attend.
“I’ve got an open ticket,” Baker mentioned. “I hope I don’t have to go home too soon. I hope I’m here for a while.”
Baker turned down an opportunity to handle in the WBC in 2023, opting as a substitute to maintain his focus solely on the Houston Astros and what at the moment was their quest to win back-to-back World Series titles after he managed them to a championship in 2022. The Astros wound up dropping Game 7 of the AL Championship Series in 2023, and Baker retired not lengthy afterward.
He has remained in the sport, working with the San Francisco Giants — a franchise that he each performed for after which managed — as an advisor. And when Nicaragua referred to as about this job, Baker had no purpose to go it up.
“He’s a legend in the game,” mentioned Nicaragua infielder Mark Vientos, who performs for the New York Mets. “Every time he speaks, I’m all ears. My eyes are wide open. I grew up watching him. I grew up seeing him coach, seeing highlights of him play. It’s awesome to be around him. It’s awesome to hear the funny stories he’s got and all the wisdom he has. I’m honored to be around him.”
Baker will return to Arizona, finally. The Giants have spring coaching there and his son Darren — who went viral as a 3-year-old batboy for the Giants, needing to get scooped up at dwelling plate by JT Snow throughout the 2002 World Series — is in camp in Arizona with the Chicago White Sox.
“When you’re around young people, it keeps you young,” mentioned Baker, a three-time supervisor of the yr. “I’ve got a son who’s 27, a couple grandsons. I like being around young people, and I love being in this uniform and playing a game.”
