LOS ANGELES — A tenure filled with full-circle moments culminated in left field at Dodger Stadium, a patch of grass Dusty Baker patrolled for most of the eight seasons he starred at this scenic ballpark. He earned both of his All-Star selections wearing Dodger blue but now represents a brand all Dodgers fans revile.
Dodger Stadium last hosted an All-Star Game in 1980. Baker hit .294, swatted 29 home runs, slugged .503 and finished fourth in National League Most Valuable Player voting. It still did not merit a spot at the Midsummer Classic. The omission “hurt,” Baker said, but the bevy of Dodgers on the National League team soothed his anger.
Half a lifetime later, in another league and in another occupation, the septuagenarian skipper gathered his superstar-laden club inside the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. Baker asked for a winning effort but reminded the players Tuesday’s game was an exhibition. He showed them signs third-base coach Gary Pettis would flash throughout the game and expressed gratitude for an opportunity he once did not receive.
“He said, ‘It’s special for me to come back here, be on the American League side,’ and that he had a lot of special memories and that he was looking forward to tonight,” New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole said.
Added Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, “Prototypical meeting, but any time Dusty starts talking, the room is in rapture.”
Baker’s smile disarms even the sourest person. His legacy is rooted in relationships and a seemingly effortless ability to avoid discord or dissension. Houston hired him three years ago for these exact attributes. If managing this franchise through its darkest period is Baker’s final on-field act, fate has afforded him a fitting return to the places that molded him.
Last season, he managed three World Series games in Atlanta, the place he played his first eight major league seasons. Baker befriended teammate Hank Aaron and, until Aaron’s death in January 2021, called him his closest friend. Before Game 3 of the World Series, Aaron’s wife and children participated in a poignant ceremony. At their behest, Baker emerged from the visitors’ dugout to join them.
The Astros did not win that game. Perhaps for Baker, the result felt secondary given the significance. Houston lost the World Series, too, leaving him still in search of the one accomplishment he’s yet to achieve.
Only eight managers have won more games. All are in the Hall of Fame. Baker’s path to Cooperstown seems clear. He paved it here in Los Angeles and returned as it neared the end. But the hero’s welcome Baker deserved did not come.
A day earlier, he begged for leniency. Fans did not listen. Baker pleaded with this “beautiful town” to leave his three All-Stars alone. Baker did not seem to care whether fans booed him. The man played in the Deep South amid racism and segregation. He is a cancer survivor. As he often likes to mention, he’s been fired a few times. Jeers do little to deter him.
“Most of the players that are here weren’t even there during the scandal,” Baker said. “And I just wonder about the forgiveness of mankind. And also at the same time, you know, these guys are here because they want to be here.”
Two men more responsible for not stopping the sign-stealing scandal did not. Fans elected Jose Altuve to start at second base, but he skipped the game with a sore knee. George Springer, elected by his peers as a reserve outfielder, did not attend the game, either. He cited a bothersome elbow.
Springer started and finished five of Toronto’s six games before the All-Star break. Altuve’s ailing knee did not prevent him from playing in Houston’s final two games before the break, either. Neither could be bothered to show up at the ballpark where they captured the 2017 World Series.
Springer and Altuve are paid to lead their teams to regular-season wins, not exert effort in exhibition games. Altuve got hit by a pitch in his knee last week. Springer, the 2017 World Series MVP, said he has battled persistent elbow soreness all season. Decisions to preserve their bodies are, in a vacuum, defensible.
Almost all of their fellow All-Stars could take the same approach. Few players aren’t fatigued or sore after 90 or so games in the first half. New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte and St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado both opted not to play in the All-Star Game because of nagging injuries. Marte attended the festivities, as did inactive Miami Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.
“It’s something I always felt was the right thing to do,” Astros ace Justin Verlander said of traveling to Los Angeles despite not pitching. “I’m here to represent myself, the organization, baseball. I’m excited to be here. I wouldn’t have come otherwise.
“I don’t know what to expect. I’m sure some people will boo. I hope some people just appreciate what we were able to accomplish. So we’ll see. I don’t really have any expectations, except for maybe a little bit of boos.”
A little? If only. Standing between teammates Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker, Verlander got showered with abuse louder than any other player in pregame introductions. He arrived for the final two months of the 2017 season but barely swung a bat. Valdez and Tucker both bounced between Class A Advanced and Class AA during that year, one tainted by their major league brethren.
Valdez threw up two fingers during the booing he received. Tucker waved toward the camera and offered his customary casual smile. The two first-time All-Stars were scheduled to enter during the middle innings as reserves.
Baker emerged from the dugout about five minutes after his players. Rancorous does not begin to describe the reception. Baker seemed to pay it no mind. He took his place on the first-base line and readied for “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Baker often says his emotions and excitement don’t overtake him until the first notes of that song. Tuesday offered a different feel. He spent most of pregame batting practice alongside his son Darren, now a 23-year-old prospect in the Washington Nationals organization.
“I’ll probably walk out to left field where I used to play,” Baker said, “and just think about my past and think about my son playing in the Futures Game here just the other day. So life’s come full circle for me.”
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism