The Big Lead

World Series-winning manager will take over underdog team in 2026

By J.P. Hoornstra

Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Dusty Baker speaks to fans after being inducted into the Dodgers Hall of Legends prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 9, 2024.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Dusty Baker speaks to fans after being inducted into the Dodgers Hall of Legends prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 9, 2024. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Dusty Baker, who won 2,186 games in 26 years as a major league manager, capped by a championship with the Houston Astros in 2023, will return to the bench in 2026.

Baker was announced Monday as the manager of the Nicaraguan team in the World Baseball Classic. Not a traditional baseball power, Nicaragua has never won the WBC in the history of the event, which began in 2006.

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Nicaragua secured its inaugural WBC appearance in 2023 by clinching a spot through the qualifiers in Panama. Under the guidance of manager Sandor Guido, who played for the Nicaragua national team for 16 years, the team went 0-4. They scored one run in four games against Venezuela, Israel, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.

Baker might not have much talent to work with when the 2026 WBC kicks off Mar 5, 2026. Only two Nicaraguans — pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga of the New York Yankees and Carlos Rodriguez — are on the 40-man rosters of a major league team. Another, pitcher Erasmo Ramirez, is in his 18th season of professional baseball, pitching for the Minnesota Twins' Triple-A affiliate.

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If anyone can coax a win out of the Nicaraguans next March, it's Baker. The 76-year-old managed three All-Star teams, won three Manager of the Year awards, and retired with more wins than any active manager.

Baker went out on top. He won the World Series that had eluded him since he took over the San Francisco Giants in 1993 and guided them to 103 wins in his first season in MLB.

Consider the month spent behind the Nicaraguan bench as a brief stop for Baker en route to a Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown.

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