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HOUSTON — The possibility that Game 6 of the 2021 World Series could have been Dusty Baker‘s final game as a manager exists–but not in the mind of Baker.
The Atlanta Braves won the World Series on Tuesday night in Houston. As they were celebrating on the field, one of the many thoughts that rushed through my mind was that this might be it for Baker, whose Astros came up short in the Fall Classic.
I have previously mentioned how much Baker is worth rooting for.
I’m not sure the Astros would necessarily fire Baker, but the fact that the Astros only gave Baker a two-year contract when he was hired in 2020 in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal screams to me that he was brought in to clean up the reputation of the ballclub in a short-term capacity. Astros general manager James Click came here via the Rays, and we know how they operate. It seems like a younger, analytically inclined manager could be next on the list here in Houston.
Baker sure doesn’t seem ready to leave, however.
“What can you do, except go home, take a shower, figure out how you’re going to come back and win it next year,” Baker said after the loss. “Look, last year we got one game short of the World Series, and this year we were two games short of the championship. So I guess that’s progress.”
Baker added “I still have some unfinished business.”
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