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By blanking the Seattle Mariners for the second consecutive night on Tuesday (May 3), the Houston Astros helped manager Dusty Baker reach rarified air.
Solo homeruns by left fielder Yordan Alvarez and first baseman Jose Altuve in addition to stellar pitching by starter Cristian Javier and relievers Blake Taylor, Phil Maton and Bryan Abreu thrust the Astros to a 4-0 home victory over their visitors and Baker into the 2,000-win club.
"Legendary moment for a legendary manager," the Astros tweeted following the game.
According to a report on the team's website, Baker, who wears No. 12, became the 12th manager to log 2,000 overall wins.
Hired amid the fallout of the sign-stealing scandal two years ago, the 72-year-old Baker is the first black manager to achieve the milestone, per the franchise.
Baker led the Astros to their third World Series appearance in five years in 2021, his second year as skipper.
He credited the men who he believes paved the way for him – namely, his father; Johnnie Baker, Sr.; Jackie Robinson, Frank Robinson and Cito Gaston, per the report.
Baker hinted that he won't rest on the laurels of the milestone alone.
"To me, everybody is making a bigger thing out of it than me because I’ve got work to do," he said, according to the team.
Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that Baker, who has a son in the Washington Nationals organization, recorded his first win as a Major League Baseball (MLB) manager on April 9, 1993, when the San Francisco Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1.
Third baseman Alex Bregman considers it an honor to play for Baker.
"To be able to learn from him, play for him and just to be able to suit up with him every single day is very special and nobody in here takes that for granted," Bregman said, KTRK reported.