Congratulations, Dusty!*
(*If the reports are true, you never know with The Athletic sometimes)
The New York Times-owned outlet is reporting that the legendary World Series champion manager Dusty Baker is planning on retirement, with the 74-year-old telling people within the last week that this season will be his last as a manager.
Currently the skipper of the Houston Astros, Baker’s team was eliminated from the playoffs Monday night after losing the ALCS — the seventh straight LCS appearance for the franchise that ties an MLB record with the 1990s Atlanta Braves — to their AL West rival Texas Rangers in seven games.
After their Game 7 loss, Baker was cryptic about his future in baseball.
“I told the guys I love them and appreciate their effort, appreciate the way they go about their business. I don’t know, I haven’t had time to evaluate and think about my future because I’m down the list as far as, like, I’m not that kind of dude. I don’t want to steal the spotlight or anything from these guys,” Baker said, the outlet reported.
“You got to savor what we did, think about how we can get better and then I’ll evaluate my situation in my life. And so, we will see. I’ll talk to my daughter. I’ve got two grandsons… I really sort of cheated them for my quest… I got two dogs, hunting dogs, a year old, they wouldn’t even know me when I walk in the house because I haven’t been home since February the 10th.”
JUST IN: Dusty Baker has expressed to multiple inside & outside the Astros organization that 2023 will be his final season as manager, sources tell The Athletic.
◻️ 2x World Series Champion
◻️ 3x Manager of the Year
◻️ 19 years as a player
◻️ 26 years as a managerDetails ⤵️
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 24, 2023
Baker has managed a total of five teams throughout his incredible 26-year career (leading all five to division titles, the only manager to ever do so) — the Astros, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals — winning his long-coveted first championship in 2022 with Houston.
He won the World Series as a player in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Baker became the manager of the Astros in 2020 after then-manager A.J. Hinch was fired following the team’s sign-stealing scheme.
Tallying over an incredible 2,000 victories as a manager with a 2,183-1,862 career record, the three-time Manager of the Year is only the 12th to do so in the entire history of Major League Baseball — ranking seventh all-time in wins. Oh, and the six managers in front of him and the two behind him? (RELATED: The NBA Is Back! Here’s Andrew Powell’s Forecast Heading Into The New Season (Preview And Predictions)
All in the Hall of Fame, so you already know where Dusty’s going.
Enjoy retirement, king. We’ll see you soon with the plaque.