HOUSTON -- Maybe at some point, Dusty Baker will be able to reflect on his accomplishments as a Major League manager and appreciate the rarity and excellence of his career. Baker is the only man to take five different teams to the playoffs, and on Thursday he became the only one to win at least five division titles with five different clubs after the Astros beat the Rays, 3-2, to clinch the American League West.

Baker called the 2021 season the ¡°hardest, but greatest year ever¡± for him in the clubhouse after the game before his players surrounded him and doused him with champagne. The 72-year-old jumped and danced and soaked up the accomplishment and the moment, and who can blame him?

¡°I ain¡¯t gonna cry,¡± he said. ¡°But I get emotional; I¡¯m human. ¡­ That¡¯s why I came here. I¡¯m glad [Astros owner] Jim Crane and the organization saw fit to let me manage this team.¡±

Baker had retired to his Northern California home and had put his baseball gear away after the Nationals let him go following the 2017 season. He was content growing grapes and selling wine and hanging out with his family at home. Then, the Astros found themselves in turmoil, with general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch dismissed in January 2020 in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal.

Baker¡¯s phone rang, and his desire to try to chase that elusive World Series championship as a manager started to burn. He was the perfect man to weather the storm to come in Houston. Baker went into his attic and found his equipment bag, got a plane ticket for Spring Training in Florida and joined a stacked Astros team.

The Astros advanced to Game 7 of the AL Championship Series last year before losing to the Rays. This year, they seized control of the AL West in June and never looked back. The division title is their fourth in the last five years. Baker also won division titles with the Giants (1997 and 2000), Cubs ('03), Reds ('10 and '12) and Nationals ('16-17). He also took three teams to the playoffs as a Wild Card.

¡°Well, every one is special,¡± he said. ¡°This one is really special because of the negative vibes that we got from all over the world. Our fans here were great. It was so great to do it here at home. It¡¯s very special, especially when I was called back out of retirement and got a great group of guys and a great team. These guys are so together. That¡¯s what I like more than anything.¡±

Baker¡¯s thirst to win has followed him throughout his career. He won a World Series with the Dodgers in 1981 as a player and returned to the World Series as a coach for the 1989 Giants. He won a pennant with the Giants as their manager in 2002.

¡°Every time you win, it ranks higher than the last time, and you never get tired of winning,¡± he said.

Baker said when his daughter, Natosha, was a child, he refused to let her win at jacks or tiddlywinks. When she asked why, he said, ¡°No, honey, I¡¯m never going to let you win. I¡¯ll let you get close, so I don¡¯t spoil the quest for winning, but winning never gets old.¡±