Dusty Baker Retires After More Than a Quarter Century as a Big League Manager

As widely expected, Dusty Baker has stepped down as manager of the Houston Astros and is retiring from managing altogether. 

Baker's announcement comes after the Astros were eliminated in Game 7 of the ALCS by the Texas Rangers. Last year, Baker led the Astros to a World Series title. His managerial career spanned 26 seasons beginning in 1993 with the San Francisco Giants where he managed for a decade leading the team to the NL pennant in 2002 along with two NL West titles in 1997 and 2000. Baker then managed the Chicago Cubs for four seasons and faced his greatest disappointment when the team imploded five outs away from winning the NL pennant in 2003 against the Florida Marlins. 

After spending all of 2007 away from the dugout, Baker was hired to manage the Cincinnati Reds where he spent six seasons leading the team to two NL Central titles in 2010 and 2012. Baker would also lead the Washington Nationals to back-to-back NL East titles in 2016 and 2017 before he was controversially dismissed. 

It appeared that Baker's managerial career was over when the Astros came calling prior to the 2020 season. Shaken by the sign stealing scandal, the Astros had to hire a manager above reproach. Although the Astros remained baseball's most reviled team, there wasn't a hint of scandal under Baker's stewardship. They reached the post-season all four seasons winning back-to-back AL pennants in 2021 and 2022 and, as previously mentioned, last year's World Series.

Baker finishes 7th on MLB's all-time managerial win list with 2,183, only 11 wins behind Sparky Anderson. Every manager in the Top 10 is in Cooperstown except for Baker and Bruce Bochy who is about to lead the Texas Rangers into the World Series. The 74-year old Californian needs to be inducted sooner rather than later.

For good measure, Baker was a solid big-league player enjoying a 19-year career with the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's. Baker made his MLB debut with the Braves in 1968 at the age of 19. Mentored by Hank Aaron, Baker was on deck when Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time HR record on April 8, 1974. 

As a player, Baker's best season was in 1980 while a member of the Dodgers when he finished fourth in NL MVP balloting hitting .294 with 29 HR and 97 RBI. The following year Baker would earn his only World Series ring as a player as the Dodgers prevailed against the New York Yankees after failing to do so in both 1977 and 1978. Baker collected 1,981 hits for a lifetime batting average of .278 with 242 HR and 1013 RBI, two NL All-Star Team selections and a Gold Glove. 

Baker leaves not only the Astros with some awfully big shoes to fill, but also all of Major League Baseball.