Legendary MLB manager Dusty Baker comes out of retirement for World Baseball Classic

Dusty Baker, who announced his retirement as an MLB manager two years ago, will return to the dugout to manage the Nicaraguan national team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

“At the time, I considered being a manager in the World Baseball Classic, but I couldn’t leave my team,” Baker said. “It didn’t seem right to leave my team for two weeks in spring training. I was trying to win two World Series in a row,” Baker said.

In 2023, he received an offer to become manager of the United States national team, but declined because he didn’t want to leave Houston after winning the 2022 World Series. After retiring from MLB management, he worked as a special advisor to the San Francisco Giants, but now he sees this as a good opportunity to re-establish himself as a manager.

“When they asked me, I thought of Roberto Clemente, who was going there to help the country. I thought of Marcus Garvey. I know baseball is taking off in Nicaragua, and I want to help,” said the two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner.

76-year-old Dusty Baker, is the eighth-winningest manager in MLB history and one of only 13 managers with more than 2,000 wins.

A three-time National League Manager of the Year, Baker spent 26 seasons in charge of five different teams: the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and Houston Astros.

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