Dusty Baker Paves Hall of Fame Path With 2000th Win As Manager
ALSO: MLB NEEDS TO RESTORE 'STOLEN' NO-HITTERS
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
The Braves already miss lefty set-up man Tyler Matzek, now residing on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in the shoulder . . .
Another important reliever in the NL East, Trevor May of the Mets, will miss up to three months with a stress reaction in the lower part of his right humerous . . .
Houston’s Dusty Baker has become the first black manager with 2,000 wins . . .
Former President George W. Bush, who once owned the Texas Rangers, went to a game at Globe Life Field on May 1 . . .
Kevin Gausman of Toronto did not allow a home run or walk to the first 122 batters he faced as a member of the Blue Jays . . .
Red Sox “ace” Nathan Eovaldi gave up five home runs in an inning against the Astros at Fenway Tuesday night . . .
Only two AL/NL teams -- the 1987 Blue Jays (10) and the 1999 Reds (nine) -- have hit at least nine home runs in a game, and the AL/NL record for combined homers in a game is 13.
Leading Off
Dusty Baker’s Huge Impact on Baseball
By Anna Laible
Representation, grit, faith, and determination describe Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker throughout his career as both a player and manager. One goal that keeps him going is to win a World Series trophy during his tenure as a manager. His impact on the game is unmatched as he recently became the 1st African-American manager to break into the 2,000-win club.
Baker earned his nickname “Dusty” as a kid from playing around in the dirt. He started his career at a mere 19 years old, but was hesitant to play in the Deep South. Due to the help and guidance of Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, his teammate in Atlanta, Hank convinced Dusty’s father that he would watch over his son during the start of his career, and even take him to church. It was only fitting that Baker was in the on- deck circle when Aaron hit his legendary 715th home run.
Dusty Baker, a two-time Silver Slugger, two-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner, and three-time Manager of the Year, is the winningest manager without a World Series ring (2,011 career wins through Wednesday).
He is also the only manager in the history of baseball to take five different franchises to the post-season (Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals, and Astros). Beyond Dusty’s accomplishments and titles, he is a role model for the next generation of players and managers in the sport, proving that anyone from any nationality can accomplish anything.
Baker made history when he became the 12th manager to reach 2,000 wins in early May. He received a great amount of support, including some from well-known former players like Barry Bonds, whom he managed in San Francisco.
After the game, Dusty talked about what this moment meant to him.
“It means extra to the culture. It means extra to society. It means extra to my race, and it means extra hopefully for others to get an opportunity [so] I’m not the last,” Baker said. “I’m probably one of the luckiest men to ever walk on this earth.”
Baker now stands 10th all time on the manager leader-board after passing Bruce Bochy (2,003) and Leo Durocher (2,008) in the past two weeks. Out of the 12 managers on the 2,000-win list, 10 are in the Hall of Fame with Bochy and Baker soon to follow.
Baker, as a manager, is an easy fan favorite and down-to-earth human, both on and off the field. The one elusive check he is missing on his resume is a World Series title as a manager. He has been close multiple times, including last season’s World Series appearance, but has yet to make it over the hump. He talks about his championship goals.
“I came back to win two — I didn’t come back to win one. I always said that if I win one, then I will win two. That’s just how I feel,” Baker said.
After a quarter of the 2022 season, the Astros remain one of the top teams in the American League, with a 24-14 record. It is clear that Baker has made a great impact on every team he has managed, including his current club.
Regardless of how many championships he ends up winning, one thing is for sure: Dusty Baker will go down as one of the most influential managers of color in the history of baseball.
Anna Laible is a 17-year-old aspiring broadcaster and journalist who writes for Sports Illustrated Kids, mlb.com, and she also hosts her own podcast called Speak Up Sports. Here’s a link to her podcast:
Cleaning Up
Time to Repeal 1991 Ruling Regarding No-Hit Games
By Dan Schlossberg
Major League Baseball needs to get its act together. It can’t keep denying no-hitters to teams and pitchers who earned them.
In a sport that has more than its fair share of radical rules changes in recent seasons, sticking to the 1991 decision that discredited dozens of no-hitters makes no sense.
Officially, there have been 273 no-hitters in baseball’s Modern Era (since 1901). But there were actually many more, since no-hitters shortened by weather, darkness, power failure, seven-inning games during Covid-era doubleheaders, or marathon games that went into extra innings before the first hit was recorded all fell victim to the 1991 ruling.
So did four games — including one this week — in which home teams went hitless but won because they outscored opponents and thus did not need to bat in the bottom of the ninth.
How could the 12-inning perfect game by Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix in 1959 not count as a no-hitter? Ditto the 1995 game in which future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez pitched nine perfect innings for the Montreal Expos before Mel Rojas relieved and yielded a double to the first San Diego batter in the ninth.
Like Martinez, Madison Bumgarner was denied a no-hitter through no fault of his own on April 25, 2021. He no-hit Atlanta for seven innings, got credit for a complete game and shutout, but not a no-hitter. The same seven-inning rule deprived the Tampa Bay Rays of a five-man shutout of the Cleveland Indians on July 7.
That’s too bad because the Indians, now known as the Guardians, were victimized a record three times by regulation no-hitters last year. The July 7 game would have been the fourth.
On April 22 of this year, seven Tampa Bay pitchers beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-2, after holding them hitless into the 10th. Another nine-inning no-hitter cancelled because the game did not end at that point.
Then, on May 15, sensational Reds rookie Hunter Greene and reliever Art Warren did not allow a hit but still managed to lose a 1-0 game to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They did not get credit for a no-hitter because the Pirates did not need to bat in the home ninth.
That seem scenario unfolded five times previously in major-league history (we’re talking about you, Andy Hawkins!).
Recognizing no-hitters erased by the 1991 ruling would be a great impetus toward restoring the integrity of baseball, which has taken dozens of hits during the Rob Manfred years.
It would mean putting a no-hitter on the resume of Pedro Martinez, who never hit one that fit the confines of the ruling but did hold hitters to a microscopic .196 average from 1997-2003.
Roger Clemens struck out 20 men in nine-inning games twice en route to 354 wins, second only to Greg Maddux among living pitchers. But, like Martinez, he never had a nine-inning no-hitter. Neither did Maddux, Tom Glavine, or John Smoltz.
Even the great Grover Cleveland Alexander, who ranks second on the career shutout list with 90, never held a rival team hitless over nine innings.
In a game that seems to tinker with everything from regular-season scheduling to post-season play, it’s time for the no-hitter to return to its historic role as a great baseball tradition. Just because a Sad Sam Jones no-hitter for San Francisco on Sept. 26, 1959 was stopped by rain after seven innings is no reason to deny the gem.
As for Harvey Haddix, The Kitten must be howling in frustration.
Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is weekend editor of Here’s The Pitch and author of co-author of 40 baseball books. He’s been making the rounds of libraries, civic clubs, and anywhere else that wants a baseball historian to speak. E.mail him at ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia
You’ll never know how easy you and Jackie and Doby and Campy made it for me to do my job by what you did on the baseball field.
Martin Luther King Jr., speaking to Dodger great, Don Newcombe about a month before King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Taylor Ward, whose play in right field cost Justin Upton his job with the Angels, is the first man since Roger Maris in 1958 with a double, triple, grand-slam, and four runs scored in the same game . . .
The scheduled return of Stephen Strasburg (thoracic outlet surgery) to Washington next month will make the Nationals a much better club . . .
Better plate discipline helped Eric Hosmer lead the majors in hitting (.389) over the first month . . .
In the third year of his five-year, $85 million contract with Arizona, Madison Bumgarner has rediscovered his once-feared cutter . . .
Oakland plans to retire the No. 34 jersey of Dave Stewart on Sept. 11 . . .
Tough break for the Royals: speedy shortstop Adalberto Mondesi tore the ACL in his left knee and will be out for the season.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Brian Harl [bchrom831@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.