Dusty Baker Will Be Back In The Saddle In Houston Next Season | Dusty Saved Astros’ Bacon, He Deserves A Lifetime Contract

Dusty Baker Will Be Back In The Saddle In Houston Next Season | Dusty Saved Astros’ Bacon, He Deserves A Lifetime Contract

by | Nov 28, 2021 | 5TH SLOT

On Friday, the Houston Astros signed Baker, 72, to a new one-year contract. Financial terms were not released by the club. Quite frankly, Baker has been a huge success since taking over the cheating-scandal Astros before the 2020 season.

Baker – who brought credibility back to the franchise and a respected voice for the players – managed the Astros to the World Series this season, losing in six games to the Atlanta Braves.

In 2020, the COVID19-shortened season, Baker got the Astros to the American League Championship Series. Houston lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in seven games.

“He’s done a great job this last year,” Astros owner Jim Crane told the media. “Great in the locker room, great with the fans, great with the media.
“We’re very, very excited to have him back.”

For sure, Baker had hoped he would be coming back with a World Series trophy under his belt. But his second trip to the Fall Classic as a manager ended the same way as in 2002 when his San Francisco Giants lost to the Anaheim Angels.

Nonetheless, Baker separated himself from many other managers by becoming the first manager to win a division with five different teams.

“Looking forward to being part of this organization and this city,” Baker told the media at his announcement. “I have some tremendous ties here and have some unfinished business to take care of. But we’re close. We’re getting better and better every year.”

Coming into the 2022 season, Baker ranks 12th all-time with 1,987 career wins and could move all the way up to ninth with just 54 victories.

When he does that, Baker will pass some big time names in the managerial game: Bruce Bochy (2,003), Leo Durocher (2,008) and Walter Alston (2,040).