WASHINGTON − President Joe Biden joked about being told he is past his prime Monday as he welcomed the Houston Astros to the White House to honor the 2022 World Series champions.
Biden, 80, the oldest president in U.S. history, made the remark as he was singling out “the legendary” Astros manager Dusty Baker, 74, currently the oldest manager in Major League Baseball, whose World Series victory last year, his first as a manager, came in his 25th season as a skipper.
“Dusty, it wasn’t easy. People counted you out, saying you were past your prime. Hell, I know something about that,” Biden said, drawing laughs from the crowd at the White House East Room gathered for the celebration ceremony.
Baker reached the World Series twice as a manager, once with the Astros and another time with the San Francisco Giants, but lost both series before finally winning a title last year. He became the oldest manager to win a World Series.
Baker, whose Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, also won a World Series as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Donald Trump came after two unsuccessful runs for president and five decades in public office.
“There were plenty of folks rooting for the Astros, but the whole country was rooting for Dusty Baker, I promise you that,” Biden said.
Baker credited his players’ strong camaraderie for their championship. “They genuinely loved each other,” he said.
Biden, who is running for reelection in 2024, has taken a self-deprecating approach amid concerns from voters about his age, frequently making jokes about his octogenarian status. If reelected, Biden would be 86 years after a second term.
“Worst part about it is I remember rooting for him as a kid,” Biden said Monday of Baker, “and I was older than he was.”
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.
