In a recent blog post on my Batavia Baseball Experience, I mentioned a wall of fame near the concession stand.  One of the more interesting plaques I read was about Gene Baker.  Baker was a prolific shortstop with the Kansas City Monarchs, then a Chicago Cubs minor leaguer.  Baker moved up to the big club and changed positions to accommodate another outstanding Cubs shortstop, Baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks.

As great as Baker was on the field as a player, his historical place on the bench is what many credit him with.  Baker became the first African American to manage a professional affiliate when he took the helm of the Batavia Pirates as a player-manager in 1961.  Baseball history would follow Gene Baker in the dugout in 1963, when Baker (then a bench coach with the big club) took over as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates after acting manager Danny Murtaugh was ejected from a game.  Two history significant spots in baseball history and both were accomplished by Gene Baker. 

What a great find at Batavia’s Dwyer Stadium!  If you get to a Muckdogs home game this year, stop by that wall of fame next to the concession area and read more about the amazing career of Gene Baker – player, coach, manager, scout, mentor, history making baseball talent.