Dodgers' Newest Legend is a Former Giants Manager

Sam Garcia | Jul 9, 2024

Jun 23, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Former Los Angeles Dodgers players, Rick Monday, Steve Yeager, Fernando Valenzuela, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr. (12) with former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley prior to the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Dusty Baker hasn't been associated with the Los Angeles Dodgers in decades. He's more recently worn the uniform of two of the Dodgers' most bitter rivals, in fact — the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, both of whom employed Baker as their manager.

Yet the soon-to-be crowned "Legend of Dodger Baseball" has spent 56 years in the Major Leagues as a player, coach, and manager. And his best years as a player came in a Dodgers uniform, as he helped the team reach the World Series in 1977, 1978 and 1981, winning in the final year.

Baker will become the eighth addition to an exclusive group of baseball icons on Aug. 9 during the Dodgers Alumni Weekend. 

“It’s a tremendous honor. And, it’s a bit of a surprise, especially for a kid from Riverside that used to listen to all the Dodger games and Vin Scully. All the Dodger greats that I used to copy and emulate, it’s a little strange for me to be up there honored with them.”

- Dusty Baker, via Dodgers Insider

Baker made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 1968 at just 19 years old before joining the Dodgers for eight seasons from 1976-83. During his stint with Los Angeles, the outfielder won two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove Award. He was also named the 1977 National League Championship Series MVP following his 30th single-season home run that made him the fourth piece to the first 30-home run quartet in Major League history. Baker was selected for two NL All-Star teams. His first All-Star selection happened in the same year that he won his first World Series and the Dodgers fifth in 1981. 

He would go on to make history in 2022 as the seventh person in MLB history to win a World Series as both a player and manager — this time, with the Houston Astros.

After retiring as a player, Baker coached the Giants from 1988-92 before becoming their manager for 10 seasons from 1993-2002. In his first season in the position, he was named the 1993 MLB Manager of the Year, an honor he would receive again in 1997 and 2000. Baker led the Giants to win the National League pennant in his final season with the franchise in 2002. 

After more than a decade in San Francisco, Baker managed the Cubs from 2003-06, the Reds from 2008-13, and the Nationals from 2016-17. 

In 2020, he joined the Astros for the remainder of his managerial career. Within a year with the club, Baker won the American League pennant followed by a history-making World Series title in 2022. He led all five franchises to a division title, becoming the only manager in MLB history to achieve this feat.

He was awarded the fourth Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Baseball Digest in April, which "recognizes a living individual whose career has been spent in or around Major League Baseball and who has made significant contributions to the game," according to the Associated Press.

Baker announced his retirement after the 2023 season but returned to San Francisco to join the Giants' front office in January.