Giants Legendary Manager Dusty Baker Inducted in Negro Leagues Hall of Game

Baker played for one season with the Giants in 1984, which was late in his playing career. His career spanned nearly two decades. He went back far enough to have played with Hank Aaron and to have been at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium the night that Aaron hit his 715th career home run and passed Babe Ruth at the top of the all-time list.

Baker played from 1968-86 with four different teams, most prominently with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he won a World Series ring in 1981. He was a two-time All-Star, the 1977 NLCS MVP, a Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger winner. He batted .278 with 242 home runs and 1,013 RBI for his career.  

After he retired as a player, he joined the Giants as a coach under then-manager Roger Craig and was elevated to manager in 1993 after Craig was fired. He spent a decade leading the Giants to two NL West titles, three playoff berths and the 2002 World Series, where the Giants lost to the Angels. Baker finished with an 840-715 record.

After leaving the Giants, he managed the Chicago Cubs (2003-06) the Cincinnati Reds (2008-13), the Washington Nationals (2016-17) and the Houston Astros (2020-23). With Houston he won his first World Series as a manager.

Baker is one of a handful of managers with more than 2,000 career wins. He finished his career as 2,183-1,862. He’s also one of a few that have World Series rings as players and managers.

He is also the first manager to MLB history to lead five different franchises to division titles and the ninth to win an AL and NL pennant. He was also the first African American manager with 2,000 or more victories and the 12th all-time.

The other inductees included two-time World Series champion manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, Cito Gaston; long-time player, manager and coach Jerry Manuel; long-time player, coach, manager and five-time World Series champion Willie Randolph; and longtime Los Angeles Angels front office employee and general manager Tony Reagins, who helped build their 2002 World Series champion.