‘Massive Blow’ To Dusty Baker’s World Series Repeat Hopes | Jose Altuve Suffers Broken Thumb In World Baseball Classic

by Kevin Moore | Mar 20, 2023 | THE TWO HOLE

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker can make history this season, but suffered a setback as his team will be without one of his top players for an unspecified amount of time.

Jose Altuve suffered a broken right thumb during the semifinal game of the World Baseball Classic.

“It’s a massive blow,” Astros general manager Dana Brown told mlb.com. “Right now, there’s no timeline because the doctor’s got to go in and get this deal done. It’s unfortunate that it is a fracture that was revealed by the MRI and he’s going to have to have surgery on it.”

Definitely not the news Baker and the Astros organization wanted to hear as he’ll look to lead his team to another World Series title this season.

Baker is looking to become just the second Black manager to win back-to-back World Series titles, joining Cito Gaston who won titles in 1992 and 1993 with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Altuve has been a key piece to the team’s success and with his absence, Baker will need to find a replacement for a player who can get it done at the plate and in the field.

It’s never easy for a team in any sport to win consecutive titles. And when your eight-time all-star and two-time World Series champ will miss the start of the season, that doesn’t make things any easier.

What will Dusty Baker’s team will look like without Jose Altuve?

Baker is going into his third season leading the Astros and is looking for his second title as a manager and third overall.

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He will certainly have a decision to make as the season approaches regarding who will replace Altuve with at second base. According to a report from the Houston Chronicle, Mauricio Dubon and David Hensley will look to fill in for Altuve as he is away.

But you can believe that without Altuve, Baker is going to put his best team out there and will expect them to compete at a high level. There’s no question that Baker wants to win back-to-back titles and even though the Astros lost one of their top pitchers in Justin Verlander during the offseason, and now Altuve for some time, this team will still be a force to reckon. One of the best pitching staffs in baseball will help the Astros whether the storm. 

Dusty’s boys will need to start off strong

The first few months of the season will be critical for Baker and his team. They are going to find out quickly how Altuve’s loss will impact the team chemistry. 

In a perfect world, Baker would not have to worry about any injuries or personnel changes and do things the way he wants. But unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. All eyes will be on Baker and the Astros at the start of the season. The silver lining? Baker has over 2000 career victories and knows a thing or two about winning, and his record with the Astros (230-154) speaks for itself. He will get his team together and make sure they are clicking on all cylinders come March 30th.