Dusty Baker Is One Win Away From His First World Series Title as a Manager

Also in today’s Five-Tool Newsletter, we take a look at Phillies righthander Zack Wheeler and preview tonight’s Game 6.

Dusty Balker has the most regular-season wins of any manager without a World Series title. That could change by the end of tonight :: Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports

Astros manager Dusty Baker has lived one of the most fulfilling baseball lives in the history of our game.

In his 19-year playing career, he made two All-Star teams, won two Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove, received MVP votes in three different seasons, won three National League pennants (1977, ‘78 and ‘81), one NLCS MVP award (‘77) and one World Series (‘81). In his 25 years as a big-league manager, he has won 2,093 regular-season games (ninth most all time), three pennants and three Manager of the Year awards.

The only thing missing from that résumé is a World Series championship as a manager, and he is one win away from changing that.

The reasons to root against the Astros are well documented: they illegally stole signs in 2017, the year they won their only title, and part of ‘18; they botched several attempts to apologize for cheating after the details of their banging scheme was revealed after the ‘19 World Series; they fostered a culture within the organization that prioritized winning at all costs, and then arrogantly pushed back at anyone who dared to question their methods, most prominently when they defended former assistant GM Brandon Taubman for his profane outburst toward female reporters in the clubhouse after the team clinched the pennant in ‘19, which was reported by Sports Illustrated.

Less talked about are the reasons to root for the Astros. Only five players, and three hitters, remain from that 2017 team. Alex Bregman was a rookie that year and really wasn’t in much of a position to tell veteran Carlos Beltrán and then-bench coach Alex Cora to knock it off—especially when you consider the team didn’t stop cheating when then-manager A.J. Hinch went all Carrie Underwood in “Before He Cheats” and took a baseball bat to the large TV monitors they used to steal the signs—and Jose Altuve told his teammates not to relay the stolen signs to him. Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña, Framber Valdez and other Astros who were not on the ‘17 roster are some of the best and most fun players in the league.

And then, of course, there is the most compelling reason to want the Astros to win this World Series: Dusty Baker.

For more on Baker, you should read Tom Verducci’s profile, which we published heading into last year’s World Series against Atlanta.

Dusty Baker’s Time Is Now by Tom Verducci
His managing is defined by having won more games without winning the World Series than anyone in history. His story is about more than the one thing it’s missing.

Have any questions or comments for our team? Send a note to mlb@si.com.

1. THE OPENER

“Garrett Stubbs has either the best gig in baseball or the worst.

“On the one hand, the Phillies’ backup catcher gets to work behind one of the most talented backstops in the game, J.T. Realmuto. On the other hand … this means that he almost never gets to play. Realmuto led baseball in innings caught this year. Again. He is the only player in baseball who has started more than 500 games at catcher since 2018. He just won his second Gold Glove, joining his two Silver Sluggers and three trips to the All-Star Game. In other words, he hardly ever takes a day off, and there is little reason for a manager to want to give him one.

“So, is backing him up a great gig or a terrible one? The best in baseball, definitely, Stubbs says—and then some.”

That’s Emma Baccellieri, writing in her story from yesterday about the one person on the Phillies World Series roster who hasn’t played. Instead, he’s become their team DJ and hype man, while also getting a masterclass in catching by backing up the best in the business.

The Glorious Gigs of Garrett Stubbs, Phillies Backup Catcher and Hype Man by Emma Baccellieri

2. ICYMI

Let’s get you caught up on a few of our other recent stories.

Justin Verlander Completes Incredible Comeback Season With First World Series Win by Tom Verducci

The Astros ace returned from Tommy John surgery and once again was the best pitcher in the American League. Still, there was one thing missing.

Trey Mancini Saves the Astros With His Glove as His Bat Fails Him by Stephanie Apstein
The former Orioles star was traded to Houston to add some thump to the lineup. Instead, his signature moment came on defense.

The Many Thrills of This World Series by Matt Martell
A comeback win, a dinger fest, a hitless team and a tight, low-scoring affair. We’re getting the full spectrum of baseball excitement in this Fall Classic.

3. WORTH NOTING from Matt Martell

The Phillies went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position in their Game 1 win. In the four games since, they are 1-for-19 with RISP. They made it work in Game 3 anyway, because they hit five home runs, but if they are unable to go yard against Astros starter Framber Valdez, who has yet to allow a homer this postseason, they’ll need to find a way to cash in when they get the chance. If not, their remarkable run to the World Series will come to an end without a ring.

4. W2W4 from Matt Martell

Wheeler allowed five runs and was charged with the loss in Game 2 against the Astros :: Thomas Shea/USA TODAY Sports

Phillies righthander Zack Wheeler clearly wasn’t pitching at full strength the last time we saw him pitch, when he allowed five runs (four earned), three walks and one home run with three strikeouts over five innings in Philadelphia’s 5–2 loss to the Astros in Game 2. More alarming, though, was the way he attacked the Houston hitters. Look at his pitch usage during the regular season and compare it with what he did against the Astros last week, sorted from most to least used:

Regular Season:

Four-seamer: 41.9%
Slider: 26.9%
Sinker: 17.6%
Curveball: 11.9%
Changeup: 1.8%

World Series Game 2:

Sinker: 32%
Slider: 29%
Four-seamer: 22%
Curveball: 16%
Changeup: 1%

He went away from his fastball, most likely because he didn’t have a good feel for it. The Astros are a great fastball-hitting team, but that usually doesn’t matter to Wheeler. The Braves, for example, were the best slugging team against four-seamers in the majors this season. Here’s his per game fastball usage against them this season:

*NLDS Game 2 / via Baseball Savant

Perhaps fatigue forced Wheeler not to trust his heater against the Astros. The Phillies were concerned enough about his health to give him two additional days of rest instead of pitching him in Game 5 on Thursday, which because of Monday’s rainout would have been on regular rest. We’ll see tonight if those two days helped. How much he uses his four-seamer could be an indication of his health and whether he’ll be able to contain Houston enough to keep his team alive for another game.

5. THE CLOSER from Emma Baccellieri

Dusty Baker was asked yesterday about what sort of message he gives to his team before a potential clinching game like this one. His answer was characteristically cool and, I thought, a perfect way to close us out today:

“I don't really have a bunch of meetings or give a bunch of messages. I sort of feel out the mood and the atmosphere, and then I go around and talk to guys individually, or if I see something, or I'll say, Hey, man, go over and talk to this guy, or assign guys different duties. So, no, I’m not going to do anything different, just go out there… I can’t say it enough, just play baseball. That’s all I ask. And if we just play baseball, we’ll win.”

That’s all from us today. We’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow. In the meantime, share this newsletter with your friends and family, and tell them to sign up at SI.com/newsletters. If you have any questions or comments, shoot us an email at mlb@si.com.