Dusty Baker has been around MLB in some form since he made his debut as a player with the Atlanta Braves all the way back in 1968.
While the 74-year-old Baker still hopes to be involved in baseball in some form, he has announced his retirement as a manager after the Houston Astros dropped Game 7 of the ALCS to the Texas Rangers on Monday.
“I’m very grateful and thankful to Jim Crane and the Houston Astros for giving me this opportunity, and to win a championship,’’ Baker told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “I felt like they’ve been good for me, and I’ve been good for them.”
Baker reportedly had a private meeting with Astros owner Jim Crane to tell him the news. A press conference has been scheduled for Thursday at Minute Maid Park. At that point, Baker will make the decision official.
Baker took over as the Astros’ manager in the winter of 2020 after the entire sign-stealing scandal plagued the organization. In four seasons with Houston, the legendary manager posted a 320-226 record. This span included two trips to the World Series and a title back in 2022.
A MLB lifer for the past seven decades, Baker will go down in history as one of the most-successful managers in the history of the game. He’s only the 12th at his position to earn 2,000 career wins.
Of that group, only Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers is not in the Hall of Fame. Bochy, who is prepared to lead Texas to the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, is not eligible for Cooperstown. The expectation is that Baker will earn a nod when he’s first eligible in three years.
Dusty Baker career record: 2,183-1,862, .540 winning %, 12 postseason appearances
Baker began his managerial career with the San Francisco Giants back in 1993, posting a 840-715 record in Northern California. That included five seasons of 90-plus wins.
He also managed the Chicago Cubs (2003-2006), Cincinnati Reds (2008-13) and Washington Nationals (2016-17). After being out in the cold as it relates to his duties as a manager for two years, Houston called him up to right the ship in 2020. He did just that, providing stability to the organization.
As a player, Baker took to the diamond for 19 seasons. He earned two All-Star appearances and hit 242 homers during that span. Baker spent time with the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics as a player.
As noted above, Baker doesn’t think this is the end of the road for him in some capacity around the MLB world.
“I’ve still got a lot to offer; baseball has been my life,’’Dusty Baker said. “I have a lifetime of knowledge, much more than those who have never played the game.’’