Dusty Baker has been a fixture in MLB dugouts for a long time.
The current Astros manager has been at the helm of different teams teams for 25 years, during which time fans have become accustomed to many of his tendencies and some of his quirks.
Perhaps no trait is more iconic than Baker's toothpicks. Baker has been seen with a toothpick in his mouth for decades, and it has made appearances during Houston's 2022 World Series run.
When and why did Baker begin using a toothpick? Here's the reason.
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Why does Dusty Baker have a toothpick in his mouth?
There are a few reasons why Baker has used a toothpick, as NBC Sports Washington examined.
The first, Baker told NBC Sports, was because his dad always had a toothpick in case anyone ever had something stuck in their teeth.
The second reason is because he picked up the habit of using dipping tobacco when he was a hitting coach early in his career. He said he began to use it more often, calling it "rally dip" after his teams made comebacks. He started to incorporate it more often outside the dugout, including when he was hunting and fishing. Eventually, he was doing it every day.
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"I went to my dentist and they told me I was forming some periodontal disease and that dipping wasn't helping," Baker told NBC Sports. "So they told me to go to the Whole Foods to get the Australian chewing sticks, which I have here. Tea Tree Therapy. Helps me stop dipping — except, every once in a while, with bases loaded in the ninth, I'll have both them."
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The toothpicks are mint-flavored, according to The Washington Post.
According to MLB.com, Baker has been using the toothpicks since he was the manager of the Giants. Baker said he keeps a box in his pocket and that the toothpicks don't break, but that he still goes through "a couple" per game. MLB.com estimated that, in his career, Baker had used 7,348 toothpicks, as of April 4, 2020, though that number certainly went up over his past three seasons as Houston's manager. Given the length of each toothpick, that total would equal 1.3 Empire State Buildings or seven football fields.
Baker told MLB.com he asked Tea Tree Therapy about a possible endorsement deal, but the company declined, saying it didn't need help selling the product. Besides, as long as Baker and the Astros remain in the World Series, toothpick companies will be getting plenty of free advertising as people try to follow Baker's lead.
