Judging by all of the reports surfacing over the past week it looked as though the hiring of Bud Black as the next manager of the Washington Nationals was all but certain. Then you wake up this morning to see the Nationals will instead be hiring Dusty Baker.
#Nats announce Dusty Baker is their new manager. A stunning turn of events.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) November 3, 2015
Baker has not managed since 2013, when a six-year run ended with the Cincinnati Reds. The highlight of that run was winning 97 games in 2012 to win the NL Central, although they took an early exit in the NLDS against one of Baker’s previous clubs, the San Francisco Giants. Two years prior to that, of course, the Reds also had an early exit in the NLDS when they ran into the Phillies. Roy Halladay made his postseason debut against the Reds in Citizens Bank Park, and that went rather well. Cole Hamels slammed the door shut on the Reds in Game 3 of that series, pitching a complete game to clinch the series and advance to the NLCS. The Reds also lost in the National League Wild Card game in 2013 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It seems, according to some reports this morning, that the Nationals and Black started to veer off course with their negotiations. A deal was never finalized for whatever reason, and that led to the Nationals discussing the vacant position with Baker.
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