HOUSTON — When Texas rookie Evan Carter was born in 2002, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker had a decade of experience as a major league manager and Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was in his eighth season.
The age of MLB managers has been declining in recent years and 22 are currently under 60. But in the American League Championship Series, two veteran managers lead the way. Baker is 74, Bochy is 68.
“I can brag about why I made it this far at this age,” Baker said. “It has something to do with us, but more to do with the teams. It’s also the fact that the teams believe in us.
“To be honest, I don’t see it as an old vs. young matchup,” said Bochy, whose team leads 2-0 in Game 3 of the series on Wednesday.
After the Nationals fired Baker following a 97-win season in 2017, he wondered if he would get another chance. He believed teams would turn him down – salary demands because of his age and his experience.
“I’ve said before, you look at the world, there’s a lot of discrimination. There’s age, race, sometimes gender. And sometimes intelligence,” he pointed out. “There’s a lot of things you can think about. But it is not good to worry.”
Bochy believes what Baker and other older managers have done in recent years — including 2021 World Series champion Brian Snitker with Atlanta — has helped him return to the dugout after a three-year absence.
“I think it’s good for the old managers that we’re in this situation,” Bochy admitted. “But because of the success of other managers banning us, I think that’s why I got the call.”
Houston owner Jim Crane fired A.J. in 2020 after a sign-stealing scandal. Not noticing that Baker was 71 instead of Hinch. What’s more, he believes the Astros need the reputation they’ve had for decades in the game. To repair their reputation.
Rangers general manager Chris Young admitted that when he decided to bring in Bochy last winter, people asked him about hiring an “old-school manager.” He dismissed Bochy as old school because he was old. “I think it’s the opposite,” he said.
Baker is the winningest active manager with 2,183 hits, followed by Bochy with 2,093. But Bochy has more rings — he won three World Series with the Giants, while Baker won his first title last year.
Bochy doesn’t mind if his players see him as a father and grandfather. He only cares about one thing.
“I hope they know I care, we all want the same thing and that’s to win games,” he said. “I hope to help you in that situation. That’s my job.”
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