3 times Dusty Baker proved Astros haters wrong in Game 3
The Houston Astros faced a lot of questions coming into the postseason. The reigning champs were still well positioned for a deep run — No. 2 seed in the American League with a wealth of playoffs experience on the roster — but the team felt more brittle than in years past.
More than ever, Dusty Baker was under the microscope. He's an all-time great and he's universally beloved in Houston, but the Astros' season was far from smooth, in part due to decisions Baker made. He stuck with players who, on the surface, didn't deserve it. Houston won 90 games (compared to 106 last season) and the AL East heavy-hitters were considered heavy favorites.
Well, Houston advanced within one game of the ALCS on Tuesday with a 9-1 shellacking of the Minnesota Twins. On the road, no less. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays are both out of the playoffs and the Baltimore Orioles are down 0-2 against the Texas Rangers. So much for those AL East heavy-hitters.
Baker has his team right back on the doorstep of history and the Astros look more than capable of breaking through. The 74-year-old baseball savant deserves credit for sticking to his guns.
Dusty Baker pushed back Justin Verlander's start... and it worked
Baker drew the ire of the Astros fanbase when he announced Justin Verlander would not draw the Game 4 start in Minnesota on short rest. Verlander tossed six scoreless innings in the Astros' Game 1 victory and he was the ringleader on the mound during Houston's 2022 World Series run. Now, the critics of Baker's decision are quiet as mice.
The main argument was that Houston could face a 1-2 deficit without their best pitcher on the mound in Game 4. Now, only one of two outcomes is possible: Houston will have Verlander for win-or-go-home Game 5, or Verlander will be extra refreshed for Game 1 of the NLCS if the Astros pull out Game 4 in Minneapolis.
Cristian Javier pitched a Game 3 gem to give Houston the leg up in the series. Baker took a definite risk, and a loss in Game 4 could sway fans back to a more critical point of view. But, the opposite is also true. If Verlander were to return for Game 4 and struggle on short rest, the Astros would face do-or-die Game 5 without their top arm.
It certainly feels like Baker made the right call.