MIAMI (AP) — Dusty Baker is going to be honored as a member of the Cactus League Hall of Fame on March 14, and he’s appreciative of the recognition.
He’s just hoping that he doesn’t have to attend.
The 76-year-old Baker is managing Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic, and his team has four guaranteed games on the schedule in Miami — Friday vs. the Dominican Republic, Saturday vs. Netherlands, Sunday vs. Israel and Monday vs. Venezuela.
A couple of wins, and the Cactus League might have to wait.
“I’ve got an open ticket,” Baker said. “I hope I don’t have to go home too soon. I hope I’m here for a while.”
Baker turned down a chance to manage in the WBC in 2023, opting instead to keep his focus solely on the Houston Astros and what at that time was their quest to win back-to-back World Series titles after he managed them to a championship in 2022. The Astros wound up losing Game 7 of the AL Championship Series in 2023, and Baker retired not long afterward.
He has remained in the game, working with the San Francisco Giants — a franchise that he both played for and then managed — as an advisor. And when Nicaragua called about this job, Baker had no reason to pass it up.
“He’s a legend in the game,” said Nicaragua infielder Mark Vientos, who plays for the New York Mets. “Every time he speaks, I’m all ears. My eyes are wide open. I grew up watching him. I grew up seeing him coach, seeing highlights of him play. It’s awesome to be around him. It’s awesome to hear the funny stories he’s got and all the wisdom he has. I’m honored to be around him.”
Baker will go back to Arizona, eventually. The Giants have spring training there and his son Darren — who went viral as a 3-year-old batboy for the Giants, needing to get scooped up at home plate by J.T. Snow during the 2002 World Series — is in camp in Arizona with the Chicago White Sox.
“When you’re around young people, it keeps you young,” said Baker, a three-time manager of the year. “I’ve got a son who’s 27, a couple grandsons. I like being around young people, and I love being in this uniform and playing a game.”
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