Baker will be back for Astros in ’23

For years, as Dusty Baker chased his first World Series title as a manager, the former big league outfielder would always say if he won one he’d like to win two. Baker will get a chance to do just that after he agreed to a one-year contract with the Astros. “How many times in your life do you say something and then have the opportunity to fulfill it,” Baker said Wednesday. “I wasn’t just talking. I meant what I said. I love keeping my word. So, hey man we’ve got a chance to win back to back and this is what I’d like to do.” The 73-year-old Baker earned his first World Series championship as a manager in his 25th season as a skipper when the Astros beat the Phillies in six games Saturday. Baker also won the World Series as a player on the 1981 Dodgers. Although he always said he wanted to win more than one title as a manager once he won one, he did take a little time to reflect after Saturday’s win. “I’d be going against what I was destined to do if I did anything else at this point in time,” he said. “I prayed on it and my answer was: ‘Hey man, get your butt back out there and manage again.’ ”