Baker on contract extension: 'I'm happy to be back'

During the Houston Astros’ quest for their second World Series championship in half a decade, speculation arose as to whether 2022 would be Dusty Baker’s final season in Space City. 

The franchise announced on Wednesday that it inked the 73-year-old Baker to a one-year deal. 

“Let's run it back, Dusty,” the Astros tweeted.

The development comes nearly a week after the fourth-year manager led the Astros to a Fall Classic triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies, who declined to hire him just before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out of the 2020 season. 

Owner Jim Crane didn’t mince words when it came to rewarding Baker with a contract extension. 

“He's a legend,” Crane said in a report on the Astros’ website. “He's really done a lot for the team.”

A former outfielder whose nearly 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) playing career was spent in the state of California, Baker inherited a ball club two years ago that was implicated in one of the worst scandals in the game. 

Since the pandemic-shortened season, the Astros have won two American League (AL) pennants and the current World Series title under Baker, whose managerial résumé includes stops in San Francisco, Chicago, Cincinnati and Washington prior to Houston. 

“I'm happy to be back,” he said, per the team. “I had an idea I'd be back.”

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that the Baker-led Astros compiled a 230-154. 

While the newly crowned World Series champions have secured Baker’s services, it remains unclear whether general manager (GM) James Click, who was hired at the same time as Baker, will return next season. 

Click’s contract expired on Oct. 31.