(CNN)Dusty Baker became the first black manager in MLB history to win 2,000 career games Tuesday night after the Houston Astros defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-0 at Minute Maid Park in Texas.
Baker is the 12th manager to have 2,000 career wins. Of the previous 11 to have accomplished the feat, 10 are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The other, Bruce Bochy, is not yet eligible.
“It feels great when you reach a goal,” Baker said while sitting next to a bottle of champagne in his post-game press conference, “I didn’t really have that goal until, I don’t know, four or five years ago , when I realized I had a chance.”
Baker’s managerial career spans 25 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals and Astros.
He is the only manager in MLB history to lead five different teams into the postseason and win division titles with five different clubs. His teams have reached the postseason 11 times, and he’s made the World Series twice (2002 with the Giants and 2021 with the Astros).
Baker’s first win came on April 6, 1993, when the Giants beat the Cardinals in St. Louis. All five teams he has mentored have advanced into the postseason.
“I think of Hank Aaron and Jackie Robinson and Frank Robinson who helped me a lot, Bill Walsh, all the CEOs and owners that I had, whether they ended up firing me or not,” Baker said.
“It just kind of added to my perseverance, determination and faith. I also have to thank my critics for giving me the motivation to keep going, because there are a lot of people who doubted me in the beginning, when I got the job, I didn’t have any experience, a lot of them doubted me, though I won.”
Before becoming a manager, Baker was a successful player. He was an All-Star, Gold Glove winner, Silver Slugger winner, NLCS MVP and a World Series Champion.
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He is one of only two people in MLB history to have 1,800 hits as a player and 1,800 wins as a manager. Joe Torre is the other.
That same night, Baker’s son Darren hit a walk-off victim fly — when a batter bats a ball high in the air to outfield or foul territory, allowing a runner to score — for the Wilmington Blue Rocks the winning run with a 3-2 win home via the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
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