Civil Rights Game hits home for Baker

by Mark Sheldon, MLB.com

CINCINNATI — Reds manager Dusty Baker isn’t just a student of the game’s African-American pioneers, he’s a bridge to them.

Baker came to the Major Leagues in 1968 with the Atlanta Braves, and was a teammate of the legendary Hank Aaron. In 1984 with the Giants, he played for Frank Robinson, a Hall of Famer as a player and baseball’s first African-American manager.

Much of Baker’s career was spent with the Dodgers, a team long heralded for its diversity efforts — beginning of course with Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier in 1947. Another friend is Chuck Harmon, the Reds’ first African-American player.