The legendary Major League coach Dusty Baker was presented in Managua as the leader of the Nicaragua National Team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which will take place between March 5 and 17 in the United States, Japan and Puerto Rico.
“My heart is very happy” to lead Nicaragua, said Baker, formermanager of the Houston Astros, at a press conference held on Tuesday.
Baker, who led five teams from Major League Baseball (MLB), said he was in Nicaragua to help young people to be better players and people.
The new Nicaraguan team pilot pleaded nervously to lead Nicaragua in the 2026 World Baseball Classic and felt the same pressure as to be in a world series of major leagues.
“We are going to be prepared to face” the other teams, Baker emphasized, who agreed to lead the Pinoleros for an invitation made by the Nicaraguan Expelotero Marvin Benard.
Baker met with part of the coaching staff of the Nicaragua National Team, of whom he highlighted his mood. He still doesn’t know Nicaraguan players.
The president of the Nicaraguan Baseball Federation (FENIBA), Nemesio Porras, highlighted the winning and positive viber of Dusty Baker and believes that he will infect the Peloteros and Nicaragua.
Maurice Ortega Murillo, son of Nicaraguan spouses and co -chants, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, said at the press conference that Baker’s presentation as helmsman “is a historical moment for Nicaragua.”
On behalf of the government that his parents preside over, Ortega Murillo welcomed Baker, he told him that he has all the support of the Executive, and stressed that “his arrival has caused a lot of impact” in Nicaragua.
He also announced that Baker will launch the first ball of a match of the local tournament that will be held at the National Stadium, in Managua.
The new Nicaraguan team pilot debuted as a manager of the San Francisco giants. Then he directed, in that order, Chicago Puppies, Cincinati Reds, Washington nationals, and Houston stars.
In 26 seasons in the big leagues, Baker won a world series, the 2022 with the stars, has been chosen three times as a manager of the year, directed 4,046 games, of which he won 2,183.
In the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Nicaragua will compete in Group D, based in Miami, where he will face with the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the Netherlands and Israel.
Nicaragua assured his ticket to the World Classic with a 6-0 victory over Taiwan, closing with a 3-0 mark in the qualifier played in Taipéi.
