Dusty Baker kicking the Houston Astros while they’re down is pure cinema
Former Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker had a lot to say about his former team just after they were eliminated from the postseason.
The Houston Astros 2024 season fell short of expectations, losing to the Detroit Tigers in the AL Wild Card round. This comes just one year after Houston lost to the Texas Rangers in seven games in the ALCS. Could Houston’s era of dominance finally be ending?
After the 2023 season, the Astros parted ways with longtime manager Dusty Baker, who led Houston out of the sign-stealing scandal and into the spotlight, which included a World Series win in 2022. By no means perfect, Baker was a stabilizing force the Astros desperately needed at the time, as their legitimacy was questioned by just about every baseball outlet for good reason.
Dusty Baker still isn’t thrilled about how it all ended with Astros
Baker was unceremoniously blamed by much of the fanbase for the Astros falling short in 2023. After the front office opted to part ways with him, Baker had a right to feel slighted, though he has since taken a role in the San Francisco Giants organization.
“Some of the battles with the front office I’ve had for a number of years, sometimes you get tired of fighting city hall on something you’re sure about,” Baker said. “The one thing that kind of bothered me a little bit is I only chose one person on my staff … That was A.J. Hinch’s staff, everybody there but one guy. We had a [blueprint] on how to win, but I wish I coulda had more freedom in choosing my staff.”
