Baker does not suffer from any disease, but he has survived cancer in the past and was also infected with the coronavirus during the covid-19 pandemic.
Baker’s diagnosis of the disease came as a surprise as he had no idea he was a cancer victim as he took part in a routine examination by his father. He has survived prostate cancer for 20 years now. However, he still asks the doctor to check a marker for an illness that claims a man every 20 minutes every six months. When Baker found out he had been diagnosed with cancer, he was about to start his final season as Giants manager.
Due to his father’s diagnosis of prostate cancer, Baker underwent a routine examination and was told he had prostate cancer. Baker underwent surgery in December of that year to have his prostate removed. His three-year-old was given the name ‘Batboy’ to help introduce him to the outside world due to fears the disease could return
The difficulties with his health did not end there. Baker was hospitalized with an abnormal heartbeat and a mini-stroke towards the end of the 2012 baseball season. But after that he took great care of himself and by 2022 he was healthy.
At the time, Johnny Sr., Baker’s late father, had battled prostate cancer for eight years, and the young Baker had long worked for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He had also lost his mother-in-law to breast cancer a few years earlier. So, Baker had already watched his PSA closely every year as a safety precaution. Therefore, he consistently advocates for larger-scale issues and educates people about the consequences of these serious issues.
Prostate cancer has affected several Major League players in addition to Baker. Joe Torre, Larry Lucchino, Dave Lopes and Derrick Hall are on the list. For this reason, since 1996 Major League Baseball has worked with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to raise funds and awareness for a type of cancer that affects approximately 200,000 American men each year.
