Dusty Baker officially retired as Houston Manager on Thursday. Here are some highlights from his farewell press conference:
From the Astros:
In his 26 seasons as a Major League skipper, Baker was one of the most successful managers in Major League history, compiling 2,183 victories, which ranks seventh all-time. Currently, all managers that have reached 2,000 career victories that are eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame have been inducted into Cooperstown. Among the top 10 managers in career victories, Baker’s .540 career winning percentage ranks fifth-best.
Baker has also been a pioneer in Major League Baseball as he is the first African-American manager to reach 2,000 career wins and could be the first African-American manager ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“When we hired Dusty four seasons ago, we felt that he was the right person to guide this club during a tumultuous time - and we were right,” said Astros Owner and Chairman Jim Crane. “The success we’ve had under Dusty on the field is obvious, and the impact that he has had on our players, our organization, and within our community has been tremendous. Dusty is a Hall of Famer as a manager, but more importantly, he is a Hall of Fame person. It has been an honor to have him as our manager.”
Baker has managed five different clubs in his stellar career, but his most successful stint has been his four seasons in Houston (2020-23). In his four seasons with the Astros, the Astros have advanced to the American League Championship Series all four years, with two American League pennant-winning seasons (2021-22) and a World Series Championship (2022). Notably, in the two seasons that the Astros did not win the AL Pennant under Baker, they fell just one win shy of reaching the World Series. His accomplishments in Houston also include three AL West Division titles (2021-22).
“I would first like to say thank you to Jim Crane and family for giving me this opportunity over the last four years,” Baker said. “It has been a tremendous honor to be the leader of this ballclub. Thank you to the fans for their unwavering passion. The amount of love I’ve received in my time in Houston has been unmatched.
“Thank you to all my players and coaches for their many sacrifices on our multiple pursuits to a World Series title. You all gave me all you had every day and that’s all I can ever ask for. Lastly, I want to say thank you to all my friends and family. I have immense gratitude for all of the love and support you have shown me throughout the years and I can’t say thank you enough. This isn’t a goodbye, it’s simply a See You Later.”
Baker’s overall postseason record with the Astros is also outstanding, as the club went 34-19 (.642) in his four seasons. His 34 postseason wins and .642 postseason winning percentage are the best of any manager in Astros history. The Astros were 11-2 in the postseason en route to the 2022 World Series championship. Additionally, the Astros 34 postseason wins and 53 postseason games played under Baker are also tops in the Majors over the past four seasons.
In the regular season, the Astros have gone 320-226 (.586) under Baker, which is the second-best record in the AL in that span (2020-23).
In addition to his 2,183 career wins, Baker has also reached several other milestones in his illustrious managerial career. He is the only manager ever to guide five different clubs to division titles as well as the only manager to guide five different clubs to the postseason. Overall, he has guided his clubs to 10 division titles and 13 postseason berths. Baker also ranks fourth all-time in postseason victories overall with 57.