Baker takes over scam-marred Astros, set for ‘last hurrah’
HOUSTON >> Before he begins his “last hurrah,” Dusty Baker intends to talk to his new team. He hasn’t decided exactly what he’ll say to the scandal-riddled Houston Astros when spring training starts, but he’s certain of the message.
“You got to go forward and make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” Baker said. “It certainly is not going to happen on my watch here, and I don’t foresee it happening ever again because this has been an embarrassment for a lot of people.”
Baker was introduced as Houston’s manager on Thursday, bringing a wealth of experience to a club reeling from a signstealing scam that cost manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs.
Baker longed for another shot at an elusive title after falling short in his previous stops. But at 70 years old he wasn’t sure if it would come.
“I was happy but I wasn’t satisfied, where I was and what I was doing because something’s missing,” he said. “And I think the Lord gave me the best chance to accomplish what I need as a person, as a father, and as a man.”
Baker is the oldest manager in the big leagues.
Hinch was fired Jan. 13 just an hour after he was suspended for the season by Major League Baseball for his role in Houston’s illicit scheme.
“Dusty’s a person of high integrity and he’s a respected leader,” team owner Jim Crane said. “He has great baseball experience and he will earn the players’ trust.”
An All-Star outfielder while playing 19 years in the majors, Baker has 22 years of managerial experience, starting in 1993 with the San Francisco Giants.
A three-time NL Manager of the Year, Baker was let go by the Washington Nationals after a 97-65 season in 2017.
“Hiring Dusty Baker is one big step for us to move forward,” Crane said. “And
I believe Dusty is the right person at the right time.”
Baker has served since 2018 as a special adviser to Giants CEO Larry Baer, working in both the baseball and business operations of the club. He regularly attended son Darren’s college games at the University of California in Berkeley.
He was so excited about coming to Houston on Thursday that he woke up an hour before the alarm that was set at 2 a.m. was to go off.
“This is my last hurrah,” he said. “And I thought my last hurrah was in Washington, actually, because I gave all my stuff away. I went to find my shoes, went up to the attic and I found the empty bag ... so this is a new beginning for me.”