Baker returns to dugout after mini-stroke

• Baker missed the last 11 games after he suffered a mini-stroke
• Baker said he's not 100%, but 'getting close'
• Baker is a leading candidate for the NL manager of the Year award

ST. LOUIS -- Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker still battles fatigue, and has yet to fully regain his strength, but knew that it was important Monday for him to return where he belonged.

Baker, after suffering a mild stroke, was back in a Reds' uniform after missing the last 11 games, managing his team against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"It feels great to be back with the team,'' said Baker, who lost 22 pounds. "I'm still on some meds, and I'm not 100%, but I'm getting close.''

Baker, 63, traveled to St. Louis on Sunday afternoon with his daughter, Notosha, 33, preparing for the final three games of the regular season. He wants to make sure he's strong for the playoffs, and just as important, show his players that he's fine. He may have missed the Reds' celebration when they won the NL Central title last week, watching the game on an iPad in the hospital with longtime friend Joe Babich, but expressed no regrets.

"The way I look at it,'' Baker said, "the big one's to come.''

Baker, a leading candidate for the NL manager of the Year award, was experiencing chest pains at Wrigley Field on Sept. 19 when Cubs team Dr. Stephen Adams recommended that he be admitted to a hospital. Baker, who has an irregular heartbeat, had gone into atrial fibrillation. He had showered, dressed, and ready to leave the hospital two days later when his nurse realized he was unresponsive to simple questions, such as saying his name and where he was. She immediately called a cardiologist, and soon, was examined by a neurologist, who diagnosed that he was undergoing a stroke.

"I was blessed,'' Baker said. "How many people have been in a hospital when they had a stroke? You can't be more blessed than that.''

Baker, whose life never was in jeopardy, was soon joined at the hospital with his wife, Melissa, and son, Darren, joining Babich. Baker underwent a battery of tests, and was told that the risk of an irregular heartbeat is blood clotting. The CT scans showed no further clotting when he was released.

"I think it was real important for Dusty to get back before the playoffs,'' Babich said. "He's ready to go now. I think we're all very confident he can get through this.''

Said Reds veteran third baseman Scott Rolen: "It sounds like he went through some tough moments there. I just want him healthy. The baseball aspect is so secondary."