Tag: Dusty Baker

The ejected Dusty Baker peeked out to celebrate Astros’ Game 5 win and everyone made jokes

Dusty had to come back to see his team win.

Dusty Baker wasn’t around in the dugout to watch the dramatic end of the 2023 ALCS Game 5 that included a hit by pitch on Adolis Garcia (why Baker was ejected, although should he have been?) and then Jose Altuve’s game-winning home run in the ninth.

But as soon as the final out came, there was Baker, peeking in from the tunnel, celebrating the win. It was delightful and of course everyone thought about Bobby Valentine, the former Mets manager who came back to the dugout in disguise after being ejected in 1999.

Here are a few jokes made after the huge playoff victory:

 

 

New Rockets coach Ime Udoka seizes moment with Astros, Houston fans

“It is an honor to come out and do this,” new #Rockets coach Ime Udoka said of Thursday’s first pitch at Minute Maid Park. “It’s the first step of getting to know the community.” #Astros

HOUSTON — Seldom will you see new Rockets head coach Ime Udoka look nervous. The 6-foot-5-inch former NBA player, who guided the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals as a coach, always has a stoic, stern look that exudes confidence.

That was until the final stages of Udoka’s pregame warmup on Thursday at Minute Maid Park, where he threw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Astros played the visiting Los Angeles Angels.

“It has been a very long time since I have done this,” Udoka said as he hurled pitch after pitch to a member of the Astros’ team. “I just hope I throw a strike.”

His pitch crossed over the outside corner of the plate before it bounced into the glove of backup catcher Cesar Salazar. Technically, it was a strike. Even if it wasn’t, Udoka threw his hands in the air as if he had just thrown the last pitch to win the World Series.

“It is an honor to come out and do this,” Udoka said. “It’s the first step of kind of getting to know the community, know the other teams in the city, and getting to catch a good game with a great team.”

Udoka grew up loving baseball, having watched his siblings play before trying the sport himself for seven years. That was before basketball came calling and seeing one of his favorite players from the Portland Trail Blazers, Clyde Drexler, playing on television. He wore a custom No. 22 jersey to honor the native Houstonian.

“I grew up in Portland, Oregon, watching Clyde Drexler,” Udoka said. “He was the reason I started playing, so I am paying homage to him.”

Before he took the mound, Udoka had a chance to speak briefly with Astros manager Dusty Baker; the two laughed and joked with one another.

“Coaching, in general, is a big fraternity, regardless of the sport,” Udoka said of meeting Baker, who won the 2022 World Series, for the first time. “A guy that has all of the knowledge and been through what he has is obviously a huge tool for me to try and pick his brain.”

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Astros manager Dusty Baker believes in Ime Udoka, Rockets

Astros manager Dusty Baker on Ime Udoka: “I think he’s the perfect coach to get the guys playing together and playing team ball. He exhibited that in Boston.” #Rockets

As the veteran manager of Major League Baseball’s defending World Series champions, Astros skipper Dusty Baker knows a thing or two about what it takes to win at the highest level in Houston.

On Thursday night, prior to his team’s home win over the Angels at Minute Maid Park, Baker met new Rockets coach Ime Udoka (who threw out the ceremonial first pitch) for the first time.

In postgame comments, Baker offered a strong endorsement of Udoka and what he can do in his new position with the Rockets:

He’s a lot bigger than I thought. He’s a big ole dude. He has some great talent on the Rockets, young talent. I think he’s the perfect coach to get the guys playing together and playing team ball. He exhibited that in Boston. I think the city will be impressed by him.

Baker, however, cautioned that a turnaround would not be immediate. After all, the young and rebuilding Rockets have finished with one of the NBA’s worst records in each of the past two seasons.

“It’s going to take some time,” said Baker, who typically attends a few NBA games during baseball’s winter offseason.

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Dusty Baker’s son, Darren, trolled his dad after hitting a game-tying grand slam against the Astros

Dusty did not like this long ball

Dusty Baker may finally have a World Series ring, but his son Darren currently owns bragging rights at home.

(And yes, before you ask, this is the same Darren Baker who was saved by J.T. Snow during the 2002 World Series. We’re old.)

Anyways, Darren is now a 24-year-old prospect in the Washington Nationals organization his dad used to manage and on Friday found himself in the lineup against Dusty’s Houston Astros.

Cut to the 9th inning with Washington trailing by four and Darren stepping to the plate with the bases loaded. The infielder took a 1-1 fastball at the top of the zone and blasted it over the fence for a game-tying grand slam.

His celebration wasn’t too out of the ordinary, but Darren had another message for his dad once he got back to the clubhouse after the Nats finished up an 11-7 win.

That’s certainly the least Darren could do after getting his dad fired up.

“I knew he was going to make contact, because he doesn’t strike out,” Dusty told reporters after the loss. “I was just hoping when that ball went up that it would just be a sacrifice fly. I would have been happy with that. He could get an RBI, and we’d get the win. …

“I didn’t know whether to be a proud papa or an angry papa, but boy that was a nightmare ninth inning. We couldn’t get anybody out.”

Darren wasn’t going to let his dad’s glare get in the way of a little gloating. Especially since the two are sharing a house in Florida for the duration of spring training.

“He didn’t want to look at me,” Darren said. “He didn’t want to speak to me after the game, so I had to run down the third base line. He said he’ll call me later.”

Back in the dugout after rounding the bases, Darren said it felt like an out-of-body experience. He may come back down to Earth if Dusty decides to wear his World Series ring to dinner.

Texans coach Lovie Smith congratulates Astros, manager Dusty Baker on World Series win

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith took time to congratulate the Houston Astros and manager Dusty Baker on their World Series victory.

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith was playful with the media Monday during his presser inside NRG Stadium.

While Smith was meeting with the media about the status of his 1-6-1 club and their preparations for the New York Giants, a big spectacle was taking place downtown.

“I have to admit, I’m kind of surprised that all of you are here,” Smith joked. “Isn’t there a parade going on right now? It’s a workday for me and for you too.”

The Houston Astros were celebrating their second World Series victory since 2017, and the first for manager Dusty Baker, who was close in 2002 when he managed the San Francisco Giants.

“It is great,” said Smith. “Dusty Baker has been such a great manager for so long. You just kind of just assume that he had won a World Series and led his team multiple times. But for this to be his first one is pretty special. It couldn’t happen to a better guy. Excited for our Astros.”

Monday was a “workday” for the Texans, according to Smith, as their focus is taking on the New York Football Giants in Week 10 at MetLife Stadium.

“We have a big game against the Giants coming up,” Smith said. “It’s as simple as that. They’ve played good football this year, starting with how their quarterback Daniel Jones has played.”

The Giants are 6-2 and coming off of a bye. As members of the highly competitive NFC East where the 8-0 Philadelphia Eagles reign supreme, the Giants won’t be taking Houston lightly as they need to stack as many wins as possible to catch the Eagles and keep pace with the equally 6-2 Dallas Cowboys.

Notre Dame alumni don’t factor into Game 1 of World Series

Nothing to see if you’re a Notre Dame fan.

The 2022 World Series got off to a thrilling start Friday. The Philadelphia Phillies overcame a five-run deficit to steal Game 1 from the host Houston Astros, 6-5, after J.T. Realmuto led off the 10th inning with the game-winning home run. Suddenly, a team that everyone wrote off at the start of the postseason is looking very formidable.

As exciting as the game was, Notre Dame’s two alumni didn’t have any impact on it. [autotag]Matt Vierling[/autotag] was not in the Phillies’ lineup. [autotag]Trey Mancini[/autotag] started as the designated hitter, which has been his usual spot in these playoffs, but he went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and left a team-high three men on base. When the Astros had two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the 10th of a one-run game, Dusty Baker pinch-hit Aledmys Diaz for Mancini, only for Diaz to ground out to third to end the game.

Here’s hoping the former Irish hitters are able to do more going forward in the series.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Listen to Geoffrey’s World Series history podcast: “Then There Were Two: A History of the World Series”.

Why is Astros manager Dusty Baker called ‘Dusty’? Here’s the story

Here’s the story.

Watching the 2022 World Series and wondering why Dusty Baker is called “Dusty” in the first place?

Wonder no more, we have the story.

First off, maybe you didn’t realize we’re talking about Johnnie B. Baker, the full name of the Houston Astros manager.

So how did he come to be known as “Dusty”?

“They call me Dusty because we had a big backyard that my dad planted, had grass everywhere,” he told reporters in 2016, via NBC Sports Washington. “It was like a football field, and then there was one dirt spot in the middle and that’s where I seemed to like to play. My mom didn’t want to call me ‘Dirty,’ so she called me ‘Dusty.'”

Here’s more:

“And then everybody in my family, the only thing they have called me is Dusty my whole life. The only guys that call me Johnnie are guys that I went to elementary and junior high school with that the teacher won’t call you by your nicknames. So, if somebody calls me Johnnie B, it kind of gets my attention. If they call me Dusty, I just wave.”

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How would a World Series title impact Jose Altuve, Dusty Baker’s Hall of Fame chances?

The baseball guys look at how a World Series title could impact the Hall of Fame chances for both Jose Altuve and Dusty Baker.

The baseball guys look at how a World Series title could impact the Hall of Fame chances for both Jose Altuve and Dusty Baker.

Dusty Baker was super disappointed that Angels fans taunted the Astros with trash cans

“It’s a sad situation for America.”

Last year, the Houston Astros avoided much of the fallout from their cheating scandal thanks to an MLB season that was played behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Well, fans are back in the stands for 2021, and they didn’t forget about those Astros.

The Los Angeles Angels welcomed around 14,000 fans to Monday night’s game against Houston, and the hecklers turned out in full force. There were multiple stoppages when trash cans (both inflatable and actual trash cans) fell onto the playing field.

The fans also taunted and booed the Astros players incessantly throughout the game, which the Angels won, 7-6.

But man, Astros manager Dusty Baker — who wasn’t around for the actual cheating — took the harsh treatment from the L.A. faithful hard. He went as far as to call the scene a “sad situation for America.”

This was how he reacted after the game:

Baker said:

“How many in the stands have never done anything wrong in their life? We paid the price for it. How many people have not cheated on a test or whatever at some point in time? I mean, it’s easy if you live in glass houses, but I don’t think anybody lives in glass houses.”

He continued:

“I think that sometimes we need to look at ourselves before you spew hate on somebody else. It’s a sad situation for America, to me, when you hear things – I mean what are the kids supposed to think in the stands? And some of them are kids that are following their parents. It’s sad to me. People make mistakes. We paid for ours, and I wish they’d leave it alone.”

While some of the heckling would still be there regardless, much of this hostile treatment to the Astros stems from the fact that they didn’t pay for their mistakes. MLB granted the players — the actual people who did the cheating — immunity in exchange for cooperation with its investigation.

Baker is, of course, standing up for his players, but his entire point overlooks that Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman escaped a massive cheating scandal with zero punishment beyond having to give an insincere apology. It’s also a bit disingenuous to equate cheating on a test to cheating en route to a World Series championship.

But really, Dusty, the inflatable trash can was funny. Just laugh it off and move on. It’s going to be that way all season on the road.

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Watch: Brandon Bielak has perfect relief outing for first win of 2021

Brandon Bielak did incredibly well in his first 2021 appearance.

Former Notre Dame pitcher Brandon Bielak had quite the 2021 debut for the Houston Astros on Sunday. Called on to relieve Jose Urguidy with one out in the fifth inning, Bielak could not have had a better afternoon. Bielak pitched 4 2/3 perfect innings and struck out four to earn his first victory of the season as the Astros finished a road sweep of the Oakland Athletics by a 9-2 final. There was no need for Dusty Baker to use anymore of his bullpen while watching a performance like this:

Bielak, who celebrated his 25th birthday Friday, has been with the Astros since they selected him during the 11th round of the 2017 Amateur Draft. To date, Bielak is the only draftee from that round to crack the majors. He’s also the most recent Irish player to get to baseball’s highest level. While he hasn’t proven himself a starter there yet, he’s young enough to still do so, and this outing was a nice push in that direction.