Baker to return as champ Astros' skipper in '23

HOUSTON -- For years, arsenic Dusty Baker chased his archetypal World Series rubric arsenic a manager, the erstwhile large league outfielder would ever accidental if helium won 1 he'd similar to triumph two.

Baker volition get a accidental to bash conscionable that aft helium signed a one-year declaration with the Houston Astros for the 2023 season.

"How galore times successful your beingness bash you accidental thing and past person the accidental to fulfill it?" Baker said Wednesday. "I wasn't conscionable talking. I meant what I said. I emotion keeping my word. So, hey antheral we've got a accidental to triumph back-to-back and this is what I'd similar to do."

Baker, 73, earned his archetypal World Series title arsenic a manager successful his 25th play arsenic a skipper erstwhile the Astros bushed the Philadelphia Phillies successful six games Saturday. The days since past person been a "whirlwind" for Baker, who has been packing to caput location to California and said helium has astir 1,500 texts and countless emails helium hasn't had a accidental to read.

With everything helium has going on, it was bully that it didn't instrumentality agelong for Baker and squad proprietor Jim Crane to hold to a caller contract. Crane said the treatment was a speedy one, lasting lone astir 15 minutes.

"He wanted different twelvemonth truthful that's what we gave him," Crane said. "He's a fable and he's truly done a batch for the team."

Things aren't truthful straightforward for wide manager James Click, whose declaration besides expired astatine the extremity of the season. Click said Tuesday nighttime astatine the wide managers' meetings successful Las Vegas that helium was having discussions astir his aboriginal with Crane.

"We're successful discussions and erstwhile helium gets back, we'll implicit those discussions," Crane said.

Baker besides won the World Series arsenic a subordinate connected the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers. Although helium ever said helium wanted to triumph much than 1 rubric arsenic a manager erstwhile helium won one, helium did instrumentality a small clip to bespeak aft Saturday's triumph and marque definite helium wanted to instrumentality for different season.

"I'd beryllium going against what I was destined to bash if I did thing other astatine this constituent successful time," helium said. "I prayed connected it and my reply was: 'Hey man, get your butt backmost retired determination and negociate again.'"

Click and Baker some joined the squad successful 2020 to regenerate wide manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, who were fired successful the aftermath of Houston's sign-stealing scandal.

Crane raved astir Baker's beardown beingness successful starring the squad and trying to rebuild the representation of the franchise aft the cheating scandal.

"The time helium walked successful the door, helium was precise calm and surely has a ton of experience," Crane said. "And helium did a large occupation successful benignant of settling things down, getting everybody focused connected playing shot and winning games."

Baker took implicit for the COVID-19-shortened season. The Astros squeaked into the postseason arsenic an AL chaotic paper earlier heating up successful the playoffs and coming 1 triumph shy of reaching the World Series.

The Astros won 95 games successful 2021 and Baker made his archetypal travel to the Series since 2002 with the San Francisco Giants, but came up abbreviated again arsenic Houston fell to the Atlanta Braves successful six games.

This season, Houston won 106 games for the second-best grounds successful franchise history. It captured its 2nd World Series rubric and archetypal since the scandal-tainted 2017 championship.

Along with the contracts of Click and Baker, the Astros besides are dealing with respective subordinate contracts. They declined a $10 cardinal enactment connected archetypal baseman Trey Mancini successful favour of a $250,000 buyout and declined a $13 cardinal enactment connected reliever Will Smith successful favour of a $1 cardinal buyout.

Ace Justin Verlander is expected to diminution his $25 cardinal subordinate enactment for adjacent play and go a escaped cause Thursday.

"We've been talking to him and we're moving connected it," Crane said. "We're going to bash our champion to effort to support him."

Baker is 230-154 successful his 3 regular seasons successful Houston. He is 28-14 successful the postseason with the Astros, tying Hinch (28-20) for astir playoff wins successful franchise history.

Baker, who turns 74 successful June, is the oldest manager to triumph a World Series. Despite his age, he's not acceptable to accidental adjacent play volition beryllium his last.

"I've got enactment to do," helium said. "You can't beryllium satisfied with wherever you are oregon other you'll ne'er get past wherever you are close now. My happening is to triumph this pennant again adjacent twelvemonth and past I'll archer you wherever I americium adjacent twelvemonth astatine this constituent successful time."

Whenever helium does bent it up, helium has a beardown lawsuit for the Hall of Fame. Baker is the 12th manager successful large league past to scope 2,000 wins and the archetypal Black antheral to bash it. Ten of the 11 different managers who person accumulated astatine slightest 2,000 wins are successful the Hall of Fame. Bruce Bochy (2,003), who isn't yet eligible, is the lone exception.

Baker said helium isn't reasoning astir that anticipation yet with truthful overmuch enactment to beryllium done.

"I emotion winning," helium said. "I'm conscionable telling you, I emotion winning astir apt much than thing else. I'm spoiled by winning. And truthful that's what I program connected doing -- doing immoderate much winning."

He was, however, tickled to larn that immoderate of his toothpicks are already headed to the Hall of Fame on with his Game 2 jersey and Game 6 wristbands arsenic artifacts from the World Series.

But helium joked that the information that his affinity for chewing toothpicks during games had go truthful well-known that the Hall of Fame wanted immoderate didn't instrumentality distant the sting from different incidental with his toothpicks.

"My agent, a fewer years agone contacted them to spot if I get a toothpick endorsement," helium said. "And they told maine they don't request maine to merchantability toothpicks due to the fact that they're going to merchantability them anyway. So that was precise humbling."