The Game and Players May Change, but Astros Manager Dusty Baker Is Timeless

With the Astros holding a five-run lead in the eighth inning of World Series Game 2 against Atlanta, Dusty Baker made an unconventional move. 

The heart of Atlanta's order was up: Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Jorge Soler. But instead of replacing Astros reliever Phil Maton with their usual setup man, Kendall Graveman, Baker went straight to All-Star closer Ryan Pressly. 

Perhaps in 1993, when Baker made his managerial debut, burning the closer in the eighth inning would have been against the grain. 

But in today's game, it's understood to throw your best reliever against the best hitters in high-leverage situations, even if it means flipping the order of using the setup man and closer. 

This worked almost exactly as planned. After walking Albies, Pressly struck out Riley, got Soler to fly out and then struck out Joc Pederson.

It made for a much more comfortable ninth for Graveman, who needed just 10 pitches to retire Adam Duvall, Travis d'Arnaud and Dansby Swanson. 

"Some people find many of the new technologies or strategies or just new things in the field threatening," then-Washington Nationals assistant general manager and director of research and development Sam Mondry-Cohen told The Athletic, speaking of his time working with Baker in 2016 and 2017.

"Dusty's not going to be threatened by anything. He just knows how to adapt and grow."

That's Baker in a nutshell. The 72-year-old Astros manager is the second-oldest in Major League Baseball, behind only the 77-year-old Tony La Russa. He is the winningest manager to never win a World Series and the only one to win division titles with five different clubs. 

A significant part of what has allowed Baker to be so successful is his adaptability. He's blended analytics and sticking with his gut into a managerial skill. 

Zack Greinke was impressed last year by Baker's ability to read people and trust what he sees. In Game 4 of the 2020 ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, Baker intended to take Greinke out during a mound visit with heavy base traffic.

But Baker looked into Greinke's eyes, listened to catcher Martin Maldonado and trusted his instincts. 

Greinke got out of it, striking out the red-hot Randy Arozarena and eventually Mike Brosseau. 

"Not everyone has that skill. Not many people do," Greinke said of Baker after the skipper stuck with him. "He's been impressive in that regard, for sure."

Baker has watched baseball—and the world for that matter—change a lot since he was called up to the major leagues by Atlanta as a 19-year-old in 1968. 

He went from carrying around Satchel Paige's fishing rods and being on deck for Hank Aaron's 715th home run to beat Babe Ruth's record, to becoming a World Series champion and All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers, to managing Barry Bonds (the son of his own childhood idol Bobby Bonds), Sammy Sosa, Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Joey Votto, Bryce Harper and now an Astros team playing in its third World Series in five seasons. 

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Along the way, Baker was credited with popularizing the high-five, which now seems synonymous with sports. 

To hear Baker tell it, he didn't invent anything. It was the final game of the 1977 season when Baker hit his 30th home run that year, and then-rookie teammate Glenn Burke was ready to celebrate. The two slapped hands as Baker reached home plate, and the high-five was officially introduced to pop culture. 

"The guy has been around the game for, what, 50 years or so?" Astros star shortstop Carlos Correa said during the ALDS. "He knows it all. I mean, he's seen it all. He's been through it all. He's always ahead of the game. So if you see, whenever I'm playing, I'm sitting next to him and trying to pick his brain. Why are you doing this? Why are you doing that? I want to learn the game as much as possible. What better guy to learn from than Dusty Baker that's been around for so long? So, yeah, he's that guy."

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

The relationships Baker has built with these Astros since taking over in wake of the sign-stealing fallout have been special, as Correa explains. 

"From the moment he got here, he didn't have it easy. He had to deal with a lot, especially that spring training 2020. He loved us from the moment he met us, and he had our backs from the moment he met us. So for me, that truly means a lot.

"Coming from a different team, he had no part of what happened in the past. He still was there for us every single second of the way. And also the stories that he's got, he's got so many great stories that I'm going to tell my kid. He's a great manager, but an even better human being. I'm grateful that I got to meet him and work with him."

Baker will manage Game 6 of the the World Series on Tuesday night. Winning a title is the only accolade missing from his Hall of Fame manager résumé. Even La Russa, who's had his fair share of feuds with Baker, said Baker already has Hall of Fame credentials.

One of Houston's pertinent offseason questions is whether to re-sign Baker or look for another manager this offseason. 

Astros owner Jim Crane said after the team clinched the AL pennant that Baker deserves another chance to manage next season. He's certainly proved the game has not passed him by.

Even as fans continue to criticize his moves, whether it's a lineup change or how he manages the bullpen, everyone with credibility in the game continues to swear by him.