Exclusive: Dusty Baker retires after 26 seasons as MLB manager

Dusty Baker, one of the most successful managers in baseball history, informed Houston owner Jim Crane in a private meeting Tuesday afternoon that he is retiring as manager of the Astros.  

A press conference has been scheduled for Thursday at noon ET at Minute Maid Park, where Baker is expected to publicly announce his decision.

“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. “I felt like they’ve been good for me, and I’ve been good for them. 

“What I really appreciate is that Jim has been totally honest and transparent with me on all things.’’ 

Baker still wants to remain involved in baseball in an advisory position with a team, either the Astros or a team closer to his Sacramento, California, home. Yet after managing for 26 seasons, he is done, leaving the Astros on his own terms. 

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“I’ve still got a lot to offer; baseball has been my life,’’ said Baker, who also spent 19 years in the big leagues as an All-Star outfielder. “I have a lifetime of knowledge, much more than those who have never played the game.’’ 

Baker, 74, believed all along that he would retire after the season, even if the Astros won another World Series title. The stress of the season and other variable factors only validated his decision. 

Baker could have announced in spring training that this would be his final season but didn’t want to become a distraction, he said. Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told him he regretted his decision to publicly announce he was leaving the San Francisco Giants after the 2019 season, only to return this year with the Rangers. 

“I thought about it before the year, but the reason I didn’t want to mention it is because of my conversations with Bruce Bochy,’’ Baker said, “saying how distracting it was for his team in San Francisco. I didn’t want to do that. It wasn’t fair to my players.’’ 

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Baker relaxed with seven friends at the downtown Westin Hotel on Monday night after losing Game 7 of the ALCS to the Rangers. He grabbed some tacos at 2 a.m. at La Calle, then headed home. On Tuesday, he went to Minute Maid Park to meet with Crane, and later with GM Dana Brown, to inform them of his plans. 

He says he is at complete peace with his decision. Now, he goes out the way he wanted, leaving an indelible legacy. 

Baker, who will be eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot in three years, is expected to be a unanimous selection on the Contemporary Era ballot, which would make him the first Black manager to be inducted into Cooperstown. 

Baker ranks seventh all-time with 2,183 career victories, and his 57 postseason victories are the fourth-most in baseball history. He’s the only manager in history to lead five different teams to postseason berths. The only manager who has won at least 2,000 games and isn’t in the Hall of Fame is Bochy, who is not yet eligible. 

Right man at the right time for Astros

Certainly, Baker was a godsend to the Astros when Crane hired him in January 2020 after firing manager A.J. Hinch in the wake of the 2017 Astros cheating scandal. Baker, despite facing a torrent of ridicule and constant verbal fan abuse on the road, led the Astros to four consecutive ALCS berths, two pennants and a World Series championship, the first of his career. 

“Jim told me that I was one of the only people who could have done that,’’ Baker said. “I think I came along at the right time. They needed someone to quiet the storm. We did that.’’ 

And oh, much more. 

“Dusty Baker’s a legend in the sport,” Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena told reporters Monday night. “I’ve loved every single day that I’ve gotten to share with him on this ballclub. He’s been great for me. He’s shown so much confidence in me. He’s been a great manager.” 

"People love him,’’ Astros veteran catcher Martin Maldonado told reporters. "He’s a guy that gave everything for the city, a guy that gave everything for the players and is going to be in the Hall of Fame."

Baker plans to spend the next week in Houston to pack, then go back to his home and winery for the first time since Feb. 10. He will fish. He will hunt. He will relax. 

But he’s just a phone call away, ready to join a team that will value his experience and expertise and respect his input. 

“I’m gone,’’ Baker said, “but I will be back.’’ 

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