Darren Baker Produces Big Game Against Astros and Dad Dusty
Darren Baker crushed a grand slam against his father Dusty’s Houston Astros on Friday.
The 24-year-old Darren tied the game in the ninth inning for the Washington Nationals, who went on to win 11-7.
Darren had hit only three home runs in the Minor Leagues before this blast.
Darren finished last season with Double-A Harrisburg.
“He didn’t want to look at me,” Darren joked of his dad. “He didn’t want to speak to me after the game. So I had to run down the third base line and he said he’ll call me later or talk to me later.”
Dusty wasn’t surprised at all to see his son launch a homer.
“I knew he was going to make contact because he doesn’t strike out,” Dusty said. “But when the ball went up, I was just hoping it would be a sacrifice fly and be happy with that. He’d get the RBI and we’d get the win. But he hit it pretty good. He had a couple good at-bats. I didn’t know whether to be a proud papa or an angry papa.”
Dusty was obviously kidding.
You know he’s a proud papa. How could he not be?
Darren was proud, too.
“It was unbelievable,” he said. “I don’t know when I’ve been mobbed like that in the dugout. Jeter (Downs) was yelling at me. He was in front of me at second base. I don’t know, it was just like an out-of-body type of experience.”
It’s also an experience neither father nor son will ever forget.
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