Major League Baseball’s first African-American 2,000-win manager, Dusty Baker, is officially out.
The Houston Astros held a press conference to announce Baker’s retirement on Sunday in the Minute Maid Park press room.
Baker met with Astros owner Jim Crane on May 25, the day after the team was eliminated from the American League Championship Series (ALCS), to inform him of his resignation. USA Today first broke the news of Baker’s retirement on the 26th, and the official announcement was made the following day.
“First of all, I want to thank owner Jim Crane and my family for the opportunity to be here for the past four years,” said Baker, who entered the press room in a crisp suit. “It’s been a tremendous honor to be the leader of the Houston Astros. I want to thank the fans for their unwavering support, and I feel like I’ve received more love in Houston than I’ve ever experienced anywhere else.”
Baker spent 26 years at the helm of the major leagues. His 2183 wins (1862 losses) are seventh all-time, and 10 of the 11 previous managers with 2000 or more wins are in the Hall of Fame. The other is current Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. Bochy, who is also a close friend of Baker’s, will be eligible for the Hall of Fame when he retires.
Baker is the first black manager to win 2,000 games. In other words, he will be the first black manager in history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Baker has managed five franchises – the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and Houston – and taken them all to the top of the world. He was named manager of the year three times (1993, 1997, and 2000), a feat no one else in Major League Baseball history has accomplished.
Even though Baker is leaving the field, he said he still has a role to play in Major League Baseball.
“I’m very grateful for the love and support I’ve received from the organization, my friends, and my family. I don’t know how to thank them enough. This is not our farewell. It’s simply ‘see you later,'” he said, adding, “My four years here have gone by so fast. It was like that when we won, and the three years we didn’t win were like 10 years.”
“When we hired Dusty four years ago, we knew he was the right person to lead a franchise in crisis,” said Houston owner Crane Houston. “The success we’ve had on the field under Dusty and the impact he’s had on our players, the organization and the region has been tremendous. He’s a Hall of Famer as a manager, but more importantly, he’s a Hall of Famer as a person.” 온라인카지노
Baker wore last year’s World Series championship ring on the ring finger of his right hand. His 1981 World Series ring, which he won as an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was nowhere to be seen. “It hasn’t fit on my finger in 30 years,” he said. It’s unclear if he didn’t wear it because his fingers have grown thicker, or if he decided he didn’t need to showcase a history that has nothing to do with Houston, but he did emphasize his love for the organization that day.
With Baker’s departure, the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, and Houston are among the five teams that will need to hire a new manager this offseason. The San Francisco Giants, who fired manager Gabe Kapler, hired former San Diego manager Bob Melvin the day before.