Dusty Baker may finally have a World Series ring, but his son Darren currently owns bragging rights at home.
(And yes, before you ask, this is the same Darren Baker who was saved by J.T. Snow during the 2002 World Series. We’re old.)
Anyways, Darren is now a 24-year-old prospect in the Washington Nationals organization his dad used to manage and on Friday found himself in the lineup against Dusty’s Houston Astros.
Cut to the 9th inning with Washington trailing by four and Darren stepping to the plate with the bases loaded. The infielder took a 1-1 fastball at the top of the zone and blasted it over the fence for a game-tying grand slam.
His celebration wasn’t too out of the ordinary, but Darren had another message for his dad once he got back to the clubhouse after the Nats finished up an 11-7 win.
Dinner on me tonight pops 🫶🏾 https://t.co/o4RBde8Xcs
— Darren Baker (@DarrenBaker_2) March 17, 2023
That’s certainly the least Darren could do after getting his dad fired up.
“I knew he was going to make contact, because he doesn’t strike out,” Dusty told reporters after the loss. “I was just hoping when that ball went up that it would just be a sacrifice fly. I would have been happy with that. He could get an RBI, and we’d get the win. …
“I didn’t know whether to be a proud papa or an angry papa, but boy that was a nightmare ninth inning. We couldn’t get anybody out.”
Darren wasn’t going to let his dad’s glare get in the way of a little gloating. Especially since the two are sharing a house in Florida for the duration of spring training.
“He didn’t want to look at me,” Darren said. “He didn’t want to speak to me after the game, so I had to run down the third base line. He said he’ll call me later.”
Back in the dugout after rounding the bases, Darren said it felt like an out-of-body experience. He may come back down to Earth if Dusty decides to wear his World Series ring to dinner.
