


"His hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back", says Baker, now 62 and managing the Reds. Baker, not knowing what to do, smacked it. Burke, waiting on deck, thrust his hand enthusiastically over his head to greet his friend at the plate. It was a wild, triumphant moment and a good omen as the Dodgers headed to the playoffs. It was Baker's 30th home run, making the Dodgers the first team in history to have four sluggers – Baker, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, and Reggie Smith – with at least 30 homers each. It was the last day of the regular season, and Dodgers leftfielder Dusty Baker had just gone deep off the Astros' J. Many believe that Baker played an integral part in the first ever high five, which occurred between Baker and Dodgers teammate Glenn Burke on October 2, 1977, in Dodger Stadium, a story featured in the ESPN documentary "The High Five" directed by Michael Jacobs. 278 batting average, 242 home runs, and 1,013 runs batted in.
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192.) Īfter spending eight full seasons with the Braves and another eight with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as short tenures with both the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics, Baker finished his career as a player with a.
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(However, Baker played poorly during the series batting. Baker ultimately won a World Series title in 1981 with the Dodgers. On April 8, 1974, he was on deck when Hank Aaron hit home run 715 to pass Babe Ruth in career home runs.Ī few of Baker's accomplishments as a player include playing for the National League All-Star team in 19, winning three League Championship series in 1977, 1978, and 1981. As a Brave, Baker earned a spot as a footnote in history. (Baker was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section's Hall of Fame class in 2010 for his play at Del Campo.) īaker began his major league baseball career as an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves in 1968. He led the Giants to the 2002 National League pennant and also reached the playoffs with the Cubs and Reds.īaker was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1967 amateur draft out of Del Campo High School near Sacramento, California. He then enjoyed a 20-year career as a manager with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds. He helped the Dodgers to pennants in 19 and to the championship in 1981. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, primarily with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. He is currently the manager for the Washington Nationals. (born June 15, 1949) is an American Major League Baseball manager and former player. October 4, 1986, for the Oakland Athletics September 7, 1968, for the Atlanta Braves
