Dusty Baker announces retirement after 26 years as manager: ‘Baseball has been my life’

Dusty Baker has knowledgeable the Houston Astros that he is retiring after 26 seasons as a major-league supervisor, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. 

“I’ve still got a lot to offer; baseball has been my life,” Baker advised the newspaper. “I’ve an entire life of data, a lot more than those that have by no means performed the sport.” 

Baker’s Astros have been lately eradicated within the American League Championship Series via the Texas Rangers, thus finishing their 2023 season. The loss was once accompanied via hypothesis that the 74-year-old Baker would step down and go for retirement. His run with Houston ends after 4 seasons, two pennants, and one World Series identify in 2021 — the primary World Series identify of Baker’s managerial occupation. 

That managerial occupation was once as sprawling as it was once very good. After spending portions of nineteen seasons within the majors as an All-Star outfielder, Baker joined the San Francisco Giants as supervisor in 1993 and in the end guided them to 3 postseason berths, together with a pennant in 2002. From there got here managerial stints with the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and after all Astros. He led each and every of the ones groups to the playoffs and gained a complete of 3 pennants and 3 NL Manager of the Year awards.

In the tip, Baker within the dugout collected a document of two,183-1,862. Those 2,183 wins rank 7th all-time. As smartly, Baker’s 57 occupation postseason wins rank fourth all-time. His 13 general postseason appearances additionally rank fourth amongst major-league managers. Baker was once additionally the primary Black supervisor to sign up 2,000 occupation wins.

Baker had a robust Hall of Fame case as a supervisor even earlier than he eventually broke via and gained a hoop in 2022, however the championship veneer all however guarantees he will in the future get a plaque in Cooperstown. 

As for the Astros, they are left wanting a brand new supervisor for the 2024 season and past as they are trying to increase the present window of rivalry that is noticed them win a couple of World Series since 2017 and make it least as some distance as the ALCS in seven instantly seasons.