Dusty Baker

Dusty Baker is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) manager and a retired baseball player.

As a baseball player, he had a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, primarily with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also played on the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics. He helped the Dodgers to pennants in 1977 and 1978 and to the World Series championship in 1981. His final career stats include a .278 batting average, 242 home runs, and 1,014 runs-batted-in. Clutch statistic: Dusty is an MLB leader in career walk-off home runs with 25. He was twice selected to the National League All-Star team, appeared in four National League Championship Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and was selected NLCS MVP after hitting .357 in the Dodger’s 4-game series with Philadelphia. Dusty went to three World Series with the Dodgers and beat the New York Yankees in 1981 to win the World Championship. He won two Silver Slugger Awards in 1981-82 for offense and a Gold Glove Award for defense in 1981. He was named to the All-Time Los Angeles Dodger team as a player, and as a manager, he was named to the All-Time San Francisco Giants Team.

He then had a 20-year career as a manager with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Nationals. Dusty started his managerial career in 1993 with the San Francisco Giants and set the San Francisco franchise record for most wins in the Giants franchise history dating back to 1883. As of 2018, Dusty Baker is second only to John McGraw in managerial wins. In 2010, Dusty finished second in the NL Manager of the year voting; only one vote shy of winning the award. Dusty is currently ranked #3 in wins (509 with a .542 winning percentage) in the history of the Cincinnati Reds (EST. in 1882). He became only the second manager in NL history to take three teams to the National League playoffs with the Cincinatti Reds, Cleveland Cubs, and the San Francisco Giants. In 2012, Dusty led the Reds to their second NL Central Division title in three years after taking the Reds to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years in 2010. In his first season with Washington, Dusty led the Nationals to a first place finish in the NL East race with 95 wins. The Nationals would lose in five games to the Dodgers in the NLCS. Dusty is currently ranked #17 on the MLB Managerial all time win list (1,766 wins with .529 winning percentage). In 2013, Dusty led the Cincinnati Reds to a 90-72 record and the MLB Playoffs for the third time in four years. 

Dusty Baker’s career highlights include the following:

• Won the National League Eastern Division Title in 2016 with the Nationals, Central Division Title in 2012 and 2010 and a Wild Card slot in 2013 with the Reds, the NL Central Division in 2003 with the Cubs and the National League Pennant in 2002, two National League West Titles, a Wild Card Title with the Giants
• Three-time National League Manager of the Year winner in 1993, 1997, and 2002 (finished third in 2016)
• Finished first or second in the division 13 times in 21 years
• Set a record for wins for “rookie” managers winning 103 games in 1993 and tied a San Francisco franchise record for wins
• Became the first NL manager to earn three BBWAA Manager of the Year honors
• Won The Sporting News National League Manager of the Year award two times
• 1,766 wins ranks Dusty (21 years) second amongst active managers, 840 victories as manager of the Giants rank Dusty second in New York/San Francisco Giants franchise history and ranks #1 in San Francisco history
• 509 wins as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds puts Dusty #3 on Reds Managerial All-Time win list (Reds established in 1882)
• Managed the 1996 USA All-Star team in Japan
• Network baseball analyst for the TBS coverage of the National League Divisional Playoff Series and Championship Series in 2015 and ESPN’s “Sports Center” and ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” shows during the 2006 League Championship Series and the World Series

Dusty was an active member of the United States Marine Corps Reserves from 1969 through 1975. He co-wrote the book, You Can Teach Hitting, and has produced numerous videos on hitting. In 2016, the MLB Network did a documentary on Dusty’s 50 years of Major League Baseball entitled, “Dusty: A Baseball Journey.” He also founded the Dusty Baker International Academy of Baseball in Sacramento, which celebrated its 34th anniversary in 2017. 

Dusty is a cancer survivor and he is very active in the community and supportive of charitable organizations. Dusty's hobbies include hunting and fishing, and he speaks Spanish fluently.

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