Count Dusty Baker as one of the people quite surprised by his departure as manager of the Washington Nationals.
Baker said he was “surprised and disappointed” to learn that the Nationals would not renew his contract despite two NL East titles in his two seasons as manager — but no playoff series wins.
“I’m surprised and disappointed,” Baker told USA Today on Friday. “They told me they would get back to me and I told them I was leaving town yesterday and they waited 10 days to tell me.
“I really thought this was my best year. We won at least 95 games each year and won the division back to back years but they said they wanted to go a different direction. It’s hard to understand.”
Baker said he has no plans to retire and aims to continue managing somewhere else if given the opportunity.
There is a chance that Washington’s opinion on Baker shifted in the NLDS, when he led the organization’s stumbling explanations regarding Stephen Strasburg’s health for Game 4. Either way, something clearly soured ownership on him.
