WASHINGTON -- During the middle of manager Dusty Baker's media conference on Tuesday afternoon, the conversation shifted away from the Nationals' opponent in the National League Division Series, the Dodgers (FS1, 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT); Washington's injury updates or impending decisions for the final roster spots to himself.
Baker sat behind a table with an NLDS logo serving as the backdrop, about to enter the postseason for the eighth time in his 21 years as a manager, reflecting on his place in baseball after watching from the sidelines the past two Octobers.
Baker had been dismissed from his previous job with the Reds despite making the postseason in 2013.