Paul Sullivan: No one could’ve guessed Tony La Russa and Dusty Baker still would be matching wits in a 2021 playoff series. But competition is infused in the managers’ blood.
CHICAGO — Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker thought his baseball career probably had ended when he was bypassed for the Philadelphia Phillies job in 2019. “I interviewed with Philly before this job, and (Joe) Girardi got the job,” Baker said in a recent Chicago Tribune interview. “My son (Darren), in his young wisdom, said, ‘Hey, maybe God didn’t want you to go to Philly and you’re actually ...
CHICAGO — Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker thought his baseball career probably had ended when he was bypassed for the Philadelphia Phillies job in 2019.
“I interviewed with Philly before this job, and (Joe) Girardi got the job,” Baker said in a recent Chicago Tribune interview. “My son (Darren), in his young wisdom, said, ‘Hey, maybe God didn’t want you to go to Philly and you’re actually in a better situation than had you gone to Philly.’ ”
Baker eventually found himself in a perfect situation in Houston, taking over a ready-made contender in 2020 after A.J. Hinch was fired for his role in the team’s 2017-18 sign-stealing scandal. Now the Astros head into the postseason as
