Three days after the Reds lost the National League wild-card game to Pittsburgh 6-2, the Cincinnati Reds have fired Dusty Baker.
The news started to break Friday morning with an alert from the Associated Press, but Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty made it official with a news release at 10:30.
"This was a very difficult decision to make. Dusty played an important role in the recent success of this organization, and we thank him for his contributions during his time here," Jocketty said. "We feel a change is necessary, however, if we are to continue to move the organization forward."
The Reds say a new manager will replace Baker, who went 509-463 in his 6 seasons in Cincinnati.
There was no announcement regarding changes on the coaching staff.
Baker, 64, originally was signed by the Reds to a 3-year contract in October 2007. Baker had one year left of the two year contract extension he signed last year.
Joe Danneman spoke with the Reds GM on the phone once the news broke, who described Bakers' reaction.
"He handled it well. He obviously wasn't happy with the decision but I think that he felt that he could have done more and he wanted to continue to manage, but we told him we didn't think it was something we were interested in doing, so we made the change," Jocketty explained.
Baker guided the Reds into the playoffs three of the last four years, but they never advanced. Baker has managed 20 years in the majors with San Francisco, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati.
His teams have won five division titles and he is a three-time NL Manager of the Year.
"He's a great manager. He gets winning seasons year after year, but I also think winning seasons isn't enough. You should be winning divisions and you should be winning the World Series," Colerain High School catcher Jake Murray told FOX19 Friday afternoon.
Moeller High School catcher Bailey Montoya argues, "Dusty Baker has shown in the past a good sense of leadership and a good vibe to bring to the baseball club.
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