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Dusty Baker’s son Darren set for Nationals call-up 22 years after wild World Series bat boy moment

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Dusty Baker’s son Darren set for Nationals call-up 22 years after wild World Series bat boy moment

Darren Baker might soon have a new memory on a Major League field.

Twenty-two years after being put on a World Series highlight reel at age three, Baker will be called up by the Nationals when rosters expand on Sunday.

Baker, who was the bat boy for the Giants during the 2002 World Series when his father, Dusty, was managing the team, was carried away from home plate by J.T. Snow after getting a little too close during Game 5 of the series.


San Francisco Giants’ J.T. Snow, left, drags 3-year-old Darren Baker, son of Giants manager Dusty Baker, away from homeplate and the path of oncoming baserunner David Bell after scoring in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the World Series in San Francisco, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2002. AP

After Kenny Lofton hit a bases-loaded triple, Baker would have been in danger of getting run over had Snow not intervened.

The moment had staying power, even as Darren Baker built a respectable baseball career over the last 20 years.

MLB also instituted a rule that bat boys must be at least 14 years old as a result of the incident.

At 25, he’s now a second baseman and outfielder and will likely make his MLB debut at some point between now and the end of the season.

He hit .285 with a .688 OPS at Triple-A Rochester this season, along with 49 RBIs and 38 stolen bases.


Three-year-old batboy Darren Baker, son of San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker, runs to the dugout after retrieving a bat at home plate, during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, in San Francisco, October 13, 2002. REUTERS/Susan Ragan
REUTERS

Sadly, there are no chances on the schedule for a father-son reunion.

Dusty, who retired after last season following 26 as a manager on an MLB bench, had the Nationals job from 2016-17, but the moment will certainly be brought up if and when Darren gets on the field in Washington.

He’ll certainly be hoping to become known for something else, though.

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