{"id":22787,"date":"2021-10-22T13:54:30","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T18:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22787"},"modified":"2021-10-22T13:54:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T18:54:30","slug":"cito-gaston-on-longtime-pal-first-mlb-manager-to-lead-five-different-teams-to-the-playoffs-and-houston-astros-manager-dusty-baker-so-proud-of-him-cito-on-longtime-pal-dusty-so-proud-of-h","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22787","title":{"rendered":"Cito Gaston on longtime pal, First MLB manager to lead five different teams to the playoffs, and Houston Astro’s Manager, Dusty Baker: ‘So proud of him’, Cito on longtime pal Dusty: ‘So proud of him’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston calls Astros manager Dusty Baker one of his best friends. Besides playing and managing the game of baseball, they both love to fish. Their friendship dates back to 1967, when they were playing with Double-A Austin, then a Braves affiliate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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@DustyBaker70<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe stay in touch. We always talk to each other,\u201d Gaston said via telephone.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Gaston, 77, badly wants Baker to win his first World Series title as a manager. If that happens, Baker will become the third African American manager to win the title. Gaston was the first to win the Fall Classic with Toronto in 1992-93, followed by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts last year.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat means a lot to me. We owe all of this to Jackie Robinson. That goes without saying,\u201d Gaston said. \u201cTo have three of us win this thing would be awesome. I know Dave Roberts is looking for his second in a row. We\u2019ll see what happens there, too. It would be nice to see Dusty [get the trophy]. Maybe Dave can win next year.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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If Baker doesn\u2019t win the World Series this year, Gaston still believes Baker is a Hall of Famer. Gaston points out that Baker has won 1,987 regular-season games, eight division titles and one pennant in 24 seasons as a manager.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Baker<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Baker on division-clinching win<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cDusty belongs in the Hall of Fame because of all the games he has won and all the division titles he has won,\u201d Gaston said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The last time Baker and Gaston spoke was Thursday morning, two days after the Astros advanced to the American League Championship Series. While the conversation was pleasant, Baker informed Gaston that Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. would not pitch in the ALCS<\/a> because of a right flexor pronator muscle strain. There is a possibility McCullers could be ready for the World Series, if Houston reaches it. The Astros and Red Sox are tied in the ALCS at one game apiece.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201c’Oh, my goodness,’\u201d Gaston told Baker after hearing the news about McCullers. \u201cThat\u2019s one of his better starters, you know. I hope their pitching can hold up. They have to win another [seven games], really [to go all the way].\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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After Baker became the manager of the Astros in 2020, one of the first calls he received came from Gaston, who calmed down Baker after he became a professional ballplayer 54 years ago. Having grown up in California, Baker wasn\u2019t used to hearing racial slurs like the ones he received on his first day of pro ball.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cCito has kept me going many, many times,” Baker said recently. “\u2026 We go way back. Cito took care of me on my first day in pro ball. We were all on the Austin Braves. \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Dusty<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Dusty Baker on Game 3 at Fenway<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe first ball that was hit to me [in right field], I dropped it. There were about 40 to 50 people [from a mental health facility who] sat in right field by themselves. When I dropped that ball, they called me all kinds of names that I never heard. All these racial names. I started crying and wanted to [go back to California]. It was the first time I’d ever been to the South, and Cito said, \u2018Hang with me and I\u2019ll take care of you.'”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Gaston remembered that incident.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI think it was new for Dusty when he came to the South,\u201d Gaston said. \u201cI told him to be himself, work hard and be coachable. Listen to coaches on what they have to say.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Baker was indeed coachable, and he ended up having a productive career as a player and manager. Most of his playing career was spent with the Braves and Dodgers, with whom he was a two-time All-Star. Let\u2019s not forget that he was Manager of the Year three times, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m so proud of him. I couldn\u2019t wait to call him after they won [the AL Division Series] in Chicago [on Tuesday],\u201d Gaston said. \u201cI knew he was still on the field [after the game], but I left him a message telling him what a great job he did there and what he has done all year. He did an outstanding job.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Javier fans career-high 9 in rotation return<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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The decision to send right-hander Cristian Javier<\/a> to the alternate training site after just two outings to begin the season caught him a bit by surprise, he admitted. Javier had pitched well in two starts, but the addition of veteran Jake Odorizzi into a temporary four-man rotation made Javier the odd man out.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Javier\u2019s return to the mound for the Astros was impressive Thursday night. He struck out a career-high nine batters in five scoreless innings as the Astros enjoyed their biggest offensive outburst in two weeks and clubbed the Angels, 8-2<\/a>, in the series opener at Minute Maid Park.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI went down there to Corpus [Christi] and handled my business,\u201d Javier said. \u201cI worked on my slider a little bit when I was down there and just tried to make the most of my time. I was pretty much staying focused on attacking the zone and that\u2019s all I wanted to think about.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Javier<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Javier receives YouTube trophy<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Javier, who was sent to the alternate training site after his April 8 start to build up his pitch count, struck out eight of the first 10 batters he faced — all swinging. He\u2019s the first Astros pitcher to record his first eight outs by strikeout since Jim Deshaies fanned the first eight Dodgers he faced on Sept. 23, 1986.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cEarly in the game, he was extremely sharp,\u201d said Astros manager Dusty Baker, who earned his 1,900th career win. \u201cHe had good velocity and a good breaking ball, and when he didn\u2019t have a good breaking ball, [catcher Mart\u00edn Maldonado] did an outstanding job of blocking balls in the dirt. He gave us what we needed. We were hoping for one more inning, but that long at-bat by [Kurt] Suzuki took an inning away from him. That\u2019s what tired him some.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dusty Baker on Cristian Javier<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Indeed, Suzuki, the Angels\u2019 nine-hole hitter, battled Javier for 12 pitches in the third with a runner on second and no outs. Suzuki fouled off six pitches before Javier struck out him on a slider. The Angels fouled off 23 pitches total, which is partly why Javier needed 98 pitches to finish five innings.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat was a tough at-bat,\u201d Maldonado said. \u201cEverything he threw, it felt like he was fouling it off. If you take away that, that\u2019s why he didn\u2019t go another inning.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Javier got 21 swings and misses — 11 on his slider and eight on his four-seam fastball. He said he worked extensively on his slider and his changeup while he was in Corpus Christi and could tell the Angels were taking some bad swings against the slider. Four of his strikeouts came on the slider.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt felt good and I was also reading the hitters and it looked like they were not comfortable with that pitch, and I tried to stay focused and kept on using it,\u201d he said. \u201cThankfully, it kept working.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Maldonado was impressed. The veteran backstop said Javier, who finished third in the 2020 American League Rookie of the Year voting, handled the game plan perfectly, which made for a seamless night for the young starter.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe team is a good-hitting team and Javier throws really good fastballs, so they had to respect the fastball,\u201d Maldonado said. \u201cWhen he started throwing the offspeed pitches, that\u2019s when the swings became more with the sliders and changeups.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Astros\u2019 bullpen took it from there, with Bryan Abreu, Brooks Raley, Joe Smith and Ryan Pressly holding the Angels to five hits and two runs — on a two-run homer by Albert Pujols off Abreu — in four innings. The Pujols homer appeared to curve in front of the foul pole, but a replay review was inconclusive and the original call of a homer stood.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dusty Baker<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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Dusty Baker<\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Dusty<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Baker with the Nationals in May 2017<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Houston Astros \u2013 No. 12<\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Outfielder<\/a> \/ Manager<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Born: June 15, 1949 (age\u00a072)<\/span><\/strong>
\nRiverside, California<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Batted: Right<\/strong><\/div>\n
Threw: Right<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MLB debut<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
September 7,\u00a01968,\u00a0for the\u00a0Atlanta Braves<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Last MLB appearance<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
October 4,\u00a01986,\u00a0for the\u00a0Oakland Athletics<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MLB statistics<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Batting average<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n.278<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Home runs<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n242<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Runs batted in<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n1,013<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Managerial record<\/strong><\/th>\n1,983\u20131,728<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Winning\u00a0%<\/strong><\/th>\n.534<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Teams<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
As player<\/strong><\/p>\n
Career highlights and awards<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
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