3 times Dusty Baker proved Astros haters wrong in Game 3

Dusty Baker stuck with Jose Abreu after a career-worst season and it paid off

The Houston Astros signed Jose Abreu to a three-year, $58.5 million contract last winter. That decision has been a thorn in the side of every Astros fan all season, as the 36-year-old rewarded Houston's faith with the worst season of his career.

Abreu, who won MVP in 2020 and spent nine extremely productive years with the White Sox, slashed .237/.296/.383 in his first go-around with the 'Stros, hitting 18 dingers and driving in 90 runs in 141 games. He didn't exactly earn Baker's confidence, but the Astros paid Abreu for a reason — because his resume is borderline infallible. He has a reputation of greatness, and that gets you a lot of leeway in the MLB. It doesn't generally matter if the fanbase agrees or not.

Well, the chorus calling for less Abreu will be silent after Tuesday afternoon. The much-maligned first baseman stepped up in a huge way, smacking two home runs for five RBIs. That means Abreu was responsible for over half of Houston's points in a game that puts them within one game of back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-back-to-back ALCS appearances.

Something tells me this Baker guy knows what he's doing. The Astros' sustained success can be attributed to a number of different personnel members, but Baker is the overarching constant — the puppeteer at the controls, so to speak. He's pulling the strings and the Astros continue to deliver when it counts. The regular season is important, but Baker tends to truly thrive in the playoffs. That is the success that gets documented in the history books.

At a certain point, you simply have to tip your hat and give the man credit. He doesn't always do it the way fans want or expect, but there's a reason Dusty Baker is in charge of the Astros dugout and not your neighbor Paul. He's one of the best managers of his generation.