Which MLB managers have won 2,000 games? Dusty Baker joins elite company as first Black manager to rare milestone
The Houston Astros moved to 13-11 in 2022 with a 4-0 win over the Mariners Tuesday, clinching a series win over their division-mates in the AL West.
More consequentially at this point in the season, however, it was Dusty Baker’s 2,000th career win as a manager. Baker, 73, became the 12th manager to reach 2,000 wins and the first Black manager to hit the milestone.
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Baker began his managerial career in 1993 with the San Francisco Giants, and has since made stops in Chicago with the Cubs, Cincinnati with the Reds, Washington with the Nationals, and now Houston with the Astros. Baker is one of nine managers to win pennants in both the National League (Giants, 2002) and the American League (Astros, 2021).
Dusty Baker, legend. pic.twitter.com/AJilgLuABX
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 4, 2022
Listen to #Astros manager Dusty Baker talk with @JuliaMorales after his 2,000th career win. pic.twitter.com/pAAwaaImEy
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 4, 2022
Legendary moment for a legendary manager.
Dusty Baker is the 12th @MLB manager ever, and the first African-American manager, to reach 2,000 career wins.#LevelUp x @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/3fkYAJlF1N
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 4, 2022
Which managers have 2,000 career wins?
Manager | Team(s) | Wins | Winning Percentage |
Connie Mack | Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Athletics | 3,731 | .486 |
Tony La Russa* | Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox (2) | 2,830 | .536 |
John McGraw | Baltimore Orioles, New York Giants | 2,763 | .586 |
Bobby Cox | Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves (2) | 2,504 | .556 |
Joe Torre | New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers | 2,326 | .538 |
Sparky Anderson | Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers | 2,194 | .545 |
Bucky Harris | Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators (2), Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Washington Senators (3), Detroit Tigers (2) | 2,158 | .493 |
Joe McCarthy | Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox | 2,125 | .615 |
Walter Alston | Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers | 2,040 | .558 |
Leo Durocher | Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros | 2,008 | .540 |
Bruce Bochy | San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants | 2,003 | .497 |
Dusty Baker* | San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros | 2,000 | .534 |
* – denotes still active
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Who are MLB’s winningest active managers?
After La Russa and Baker, Terry Francona (1,792) and Buck Showalter (1,569) are baseball’s winningest active managers. Other active 1,000-game winners include Joe Maddon (1,370), Bob Melvin (1,361), Joe Girardi (1,109) and Bud Black (1,011). A.J. Hinch, whom Baker replaced after Hinch was suspended for a season and subsequently fired for his part in the Astros sign-stealing scandal, is managing the Tigers at 654 wins.
The Astros are looking for their second World Series win to follow up on 2017’s win. The Nationals, of course, won the World Series in 2019, just two seasons after Baker left. They beat the Houston Astros while Hinch was still at the helm, and Baker returned to the dugout in 2020 to manage Houston.