Adding To The Notes On Dusty Baker’s Return To The World Series 19 Years Later

I will add to the following paragraph in Sarah Langs notes/story regarding Dusty Baker being back in the World Series.

 “Between World Series appearances, Baker managed 54 postseason games — from the 2003 Cubs through Game 6 of this year’s ALCS. That’s the most postseason games managed between World Series games, surpassing a 48-game stretch by La Russa between a 1990 AL pennant with the A’s and a 2004 NL pennant with the Cardinals, according to Elias.”

La Russa, at least she got the separation in his name correct, won the ’90 pennant with the A’s, thus managed in the subsequent World Series, a point not made all that clear by Ms. Langs, getting swept in 4 games, by the big underdog, Cincinnati Reds. (Michael Kay picked the A’s in 5 games).

La Russa, after losing that ’90 World Series got into the ‘offs once more with Oakland, losing in 6 to the eventual champion Toronto Blue Jays in the ’92 ALCS.

Next with the St. Louis Cardinals he and his team(s) won the ’96 div series in 3 straight vs San Diego, before dissipating a (3-1) NLCS lead and losing to the Braves in 7 games. In 2000, his Cards swept the Braves in 3 straight in the “div” series before getting 5’d by the Mets in the NLCS.

In ’01 his Cards lost in the maximum 5 games to the eventual champion Arizona Diamondbacks as Tony Womack, who later delivered, arguably baseball’s most important hit in #7/2001 World Series, for which a la Hal Smith 41 years earlier and also vs the Yankees, gets so little credit. That is 29 games managed since his loss in #4 World Series in ’90.

The other 19 were in a 3 game sweep vs defending champion Arizona and 5 game loss (the latter to Dusty Baker’s Giants, who were in route to Baker’s only other W.S. appearance as a manager) NLCS loss in ’03, before a 4 game “div” series triumph vs L.A. (Dodgers) and a 7 game win vs Baker’s current team, the then National League member, Houston Astros, propelled La Russa back into the World Series.

Let’s say via Elias, Langs got the point out and I provided additional details. Coming up, a few more World Series and other notes, you likely will not find elsewhere.