By Larry Hicks | Special to The OBSERVER
Dusty Baker, Jerry Manuel, and Jerry Royster are “homies” – bound by friendship, family, Sacramento, and the sport they love: baseball.
Lots of baseball.
They’ve been teammates and competitors at the high school, minor league, and Major League Baseball levels. Combined, the three men played in more than 3,500 MLB games over a combined 40 seasons. In 2002, the Big 3 were all managers of MLB teams, a happy, if not unsurprising, coincidence.
The three men, all in their 70s, are still involved in the game to varying degrees and they’re looking with anticipation toward a history-making event that has the potential to transform their hometown.
The former Oakland Athletics are coming and are expected to play the next three seasons here on the way to the team’s final destination, Las Vegas. But hold on, say the local legends. The A’s stay here is an opportunity for Sacramento to achieve something more permanent.
“It’s exciting,” Manuel says. “I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for Sac to show how it embraces major league sports. That’s going to be on display.”
“I think it’s amazing,” Royster says. “Sacramento has been a baseball hub for so long and it goes so far back. The A’s will have a hard time leaving Sac. It wouldn’t surprise me if they stay.”
Baker has mixed emotions about the A’s arrival.
“It’s great for the town, but quite honestly I feel poorly for Oakland because they’ve lost all their [major professional league] teams,” says Baker, referencing the departures of the NFL’s Raiders to Las Vegas and the Golden State Warriors to San Francisco. “That’s tough on the city of Oakland economically, and psychologically. But I’m happy for Sacramento.”
To recap: The A’s are set to open their new ballpark for the 2028 season at a site on the Las Vegas Strip. The relocation effort follows years of failed attempts to replace the Oakland Coliseum with a more modern stadium in the Bay Area. In the meantime, the team will play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.
More jaded – and understandably angry – A’s fans on social media have described the move as motivated by greed, chasing a bigger jackpot in Vegas. Sports-starved Sacramento-area officials – according to conspiracy theorists – said we’ll shelter you in our triple-A stadium, which also happens to be the home of the Giants’ triple-A affiliate, the River Cats. The two clubs will share.
Capital City boosters hope the A’s will be so impressed with the passion of area fans that the A’s will stay permanently or that MLB will put another team here.
But for that dream to have a chance to become reality, Sacramento has big hurdles to clear. Chief among them is building a ballpark worthy of an MLB team.
Sutter Health Park has 10,624 fixed seats and expands to 14,014 capacity when the outfield lawn and standing-room-only space are included. The smallest established MLB park is the 34,830-seat Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians.
“I’m curious how they’re gonna play all the games [between the A’s and River Cats] and never give the field a rest,” Baker says. How will they play all those games and give the field a break? The ground crew is gonna be busy.”
Despite these questions and others, the A’s pending arrival is a golden opportunity for the Sacramento region to showcase itself.
“A lot of people don’t know much about Sacramento in the country other than it being the capital of California and [home of] the Sacramento Kings,” Baker says.
“I don’t see this as a minor league city,” Manuel says. “And I really believe in my heart of hearts that this will show Major League Baseball that this is a viable option and an option that would help the game of baseball as far as interest in this area.”
The early 2000s – particularly 2002 – was a remarkable period for baseball, and for Baker, Manuel, Royster (all Black) and two other native sons (Buck Martinez and Larry Bowa) in particular. All five men were managing MLB teams – an accomplishment that was likely unheard of coming from one region of the country.
In high school, Baker (Del Campo), Manuel (Cordova), Royster (Sacramento), Bowa (C.K. McClatchy) and Martinez (Elk Grove) all were multisport stars, counting football and basketball.
Baker, a few years older, was admired by Manuel and Royster.
“Dusty, he’s the guy that we kinda all look up to,” Manuel says. There’s always been a camaraderie with the Sacramento guys that play at the next level. I think Dusty was the originator of saying that’s a ‘homie.’ He’d always say ‘Hey, man, that’s a homie.’ So you didn’t have to know the guy’s name. We had a little fraternity.”
In 2000, Baker was named National League Manager of the Year with the Giants and Manuel was American League Manager of the Year after leading the Chicago White Sox to a division title.
“We kind of made some other history in that sense,” Manuel says. “That’s a testament that baseball was … top-notch in Sacramento.”
Baker, likely a Hall of Fame inductee one day, led the Giants to the 2002 World Series, losing to the Anaheim Angels. He lost a second appearance in 2021 managing the Houston Astros and finally won it all in 2022 with the Astros. He retired in 2023 after the Astros lost in the American League Championship Series to the Texas Rangers.
All five men are Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame inductees. Managing MLB teams at the same time was a great accomplishment, Royster says. But don’t let the good vibes fool you.
“We all were fierce competitors,” says Royster, “trying to beat each other’s brains out. But we stayed close.”
Manuel and Royster were each other’s best man. They both are heavily involved in MLB development programs to increase the number of African American youths involved in the sport.
When Royster’s mother died, Baker gave a sizable donation to Royster’s mom’s church.
And in an interesting twist, Royster and Baker were traded for each other, with a few other players, in 1975. Royster went to the Atlanta Braves and Baker to the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he appeared in three World Series, winning it all in 1981.
“Baseball is in our blood,” Royster says. “We’re all intertwined because of baseball.”
MLB Local Legends
| Player/Manager | Age | High School | Playing Career Length | Managerial Career Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dusty Baker | 76 | Del Campo | 19 seasons (1968-1986) | 26 seasons (1993-2023) |
| Jerry Manuel | 71 | Cordova | 8 seasons (1975-1982) | 12 seasons (1998-2010) |
| Jerry Royster | 73 | Sacramento | 16 seasons (1973-1988) | 7 seasons (2002-2008) |
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr. played 19 seasons as an outfielder for four teams: the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics from 1968 to 1986. He then went on to manage five teams from 1993 to 2023, winning the 2022 World Series with the Houston Astros. Baker was named National League Manager of the Year three times with the Giants. He’s one of 12 managers to reach 2,000 career victories (2,183) and the only Black person. As a player with the Dodgers, he was a two-time all-star, won two Silver Slugger awards and a Gold Glove, and was named MVP during the 1977 NL Championship Series. He also made three World Series appearances with the Dodgers and was a member of the 1981 championship team. For his career he batted .278, with 242 home runs, 1,013 RBI and 1,981 hits.
Jerry Manuel
Jerry Lorenzo Manuel Sr. played sparingly in the major leagues from 1975 to 1982, mostly as a second baseman. He accumulated only 127 at-bats and a .150 batting average with three home runs and 13 RBI in 96 games. His greatest success was as a manager, compiling a 704–684 record with the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets from 1998-2010. In 2000 Manuel guided the White Sox to a first-place finish in the American League’s Central Division and was named AL Manager of the Year.
Jerry Royster
Jeron Kennis Royster played 1,428 games over 16 seasons. Royster posted a .249 batting average going 1,049 for 4,208 with 552 runs, 40 home runs, 352 RBI, 189 steals, and 411 walks. He managed the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002, with a record of 53-94.