The Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker (12) heads out to pay a visit to the mound in a Sep 27th, 2020 game against the Texas Rangers at Globelife Park in Arlington (AP News photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Dusty Baker as manager of the Houston Astros was the calm after the storm and surely the best thing that could have happened to a team that was reeling from an infamous sign-stealing scandal.

The Astros who just eliminated the Oakland Athletics in the AL Divisional Series taking three of the four games at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles are a happy bunch going into the AL Championship Series, and four (4) more wins away from a consecutive trip to the World Series, as they lost the October Classic last year in seven (7) exciting games to the Washington Nationals.

Dusty Baker’s team has gotten this far without their #1 starter Justin Verlander a Cy-Young-type of pitcher who had Tommy John surgery and will not be back for at least another year. Dusty who is the ultimate players-manager, and who sometimes still feels like he is playing is the type of man at the helm the Houston organization badly needed.

Before the beat the A’s in the divisional series, they swept the powerful Minnesota Twins. The Astros escaped the booing by fans all over the country, since there were no fans allowed this 2020 season, and they are one of the most experienced bunch of players advancing to the ALCS. At the time of this article they will face either the New York Yankees or the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Astros are filled with great Latino talent, such established stars like; José Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yuliesky Gurriel, Martin Maldonado, Aledmys Díaz, newcomers Framber Valdés, Elodi Paredes, José Urquidy. During some games they wear a T-Shirt (under the jerseys) that read, Somos Astros, translated We’re Astros. Dusty understands enough Spanish to hold an interview or conversation and he seemed to have bonded with this team.

With 23 years as a manager and his whole life as a baseball man, once a very good baseball player with a 19-year resumé that traveled through Atlanta Braves, LA Dodgers and last two years here in the Bay Area with SF Giants and then with the Athletics his last team in 1985, he is the winning-est major league active manager as of today.

Dusty’s Houston Astros are playing well and with a mission to go back to the World Series again. The Oakland A’s had a good run, won their division, took care of the young Chicago White Sox, but they ran into a much more post-season experienced team with one of the best line-ups in the game.

Not an excuse, but the A’s lost to injury/surgery their best player, third-baseman Matt Chapman for the last part of the season and the duration of the seven (7) games they participated in the playoffs.

Wishing Dusty all the luck in the world, the rest of the playoffs. Hey Dusty, you should have a special mask with a small hole for your toothpick!

Stay well and stay tuned.