#654 - Dusty Baker - World Series Champion Player And Coach Has Been Part Of Baseball's All Time Best Games

Baseball legend Dusty Baker sits down with Jimmy for a candid, story-packed conversation spanning his life in the game—All-Star outfielder, World Series champion, and three-time Manager of the Year. Dusty relives the Barry Bonds era from a front-row seat, breaks down how elite hitters actually “know” what’s coming, and shares the mindset he learned from Hank Aaron about trusting your eyes, handling failure, and staying ready. He also opens up about representation in the dugout, what it’s really like to get rehired in MLB, and how age and experience still matter in a sport obsessed with numbers.

From the heartbreaks—’02 World Series, the Bartman game, Halladay’s no-no—to redemption with the 2022 Astros, Dusty explains managing under pressure, restoring dignity after the scandal, and navigating the COVID season and hostile road crowds. He reflects on winter ball’s intensity, the economics behind the decline of Black American players, and a deeply personal moment when his young son stepped onto the World Series stage while Dusty was battling cancer. Plus: why he said yes to managing Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.

00:00 Introduction
01:32 Barry Bonds up close; lessons from Hank Aaron
09:31 Rehiring, respect, and minority managers
11:54 How the Astros job happened & the 2022 run
15:34 COVID season, boos, and rebuilding trust
22:04 Prior/Wood, pitch counts, and the injury era
27:52 ’89 quake Series & toughest losses (Bartman, ’02)
32:37 Fatherhood, cancer, and a World Series moment
41:06 Outro