Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (12) sits in the dugout during game five of the NLDS between the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals on October 12, 2017, at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C. The Chicago Cubs defeated the Washington Nationals, 9-8 to advance to the National League Championship game. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Two managers that took their teams to the postseason were fired, one had a team to go all he way, the other one had a team that surprised everybody, may I say even some in their own organization.

Dusty Baker (Washington Nationals) Dusty Baker was fired after his Nationals were eliminated in the National League Division Series by the Chicago Cubs,

The Washington Nationals did have the team expected to make it all the way to the World Series. Dusty spent the past two seasons as Washington’s manager, leading the team to back-to-back NL East titles and 97 wins in 2017. Baker’s contract expired after the 2017 season. This 2017 team was poised to go all the way to the World Series. After his dismissal he said he was “surprised and disappointed” and added “I really thought this was my best year,” he added. “We won at least 95 games each year and won the division back-to-back years but they said they wanted to go [in] a different direction. It’s hard to understand.” I have never heard a bad word by a player that played for a Dusty Baker team, Dusty is the ultimate “players manager”, He is truly a baseball man and a very good man overall. During the years I worked broadcasting Giants games I learned more about what kind of a guy Dusty is. He has a great passion and dedication to the game.

Dusty played for 18 years in the majors from 1968 to 1986 (his last two years 1985-86 with the Oakland A’s) he always had roots in the Bay Area and later would managed the Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals. With the San Francisco Giants he managed from 1993 to 2002, winning the National League pennant in 2002 and losing the World Series to the Angels. His record as a manager. 840 wins and 715 loses. Although I did not wanted him to get fired, it did not surprised me that the Nationals dismissed him. After losing closer Melancon to the free agent market, his bullpen was the Nationals weakness, although management acquired Doolittle, Madson from the A’s and Kintzler from the Twins at mid-season, their bullpen got stronger during the second half of the season. It is obvious the Nationals owners were eyeballing a World Series berth this season, they did not make it, so they fired Dusty Baker

Joe Girardi (New York Yankees) A very good manager, managing in one of the toughest cities to succeed. His surprising 2017 Yankees were not expected to go very far, yet they did. Regardless of what you see on Facebook by snotty 12 year old Yankee fans which a couple of weeks ago talked about this 2017 Yankee team like they were the 1927 Yankees. They are a good young bunch of players that should be in the race next season again. However, just like I did expected Dusty Baker to get fired if he did not advanced to the World Series, I did not expected Joe Girardi to be fired as manager of the Yankees. But that is Yankee baseball.

Girardi managed the Yankees for 10 seasons,(2008-2017) won the 2009 World Series(the 27th and last title for the Bronx Bombers)and as a Yankee won a total of 910 games (910-710). In the great history of the Yankees only Joe McCarhty(1,149-696) Joe Torre (1,173-767) and Casey Stengel (1,149-696) won more games for the Yankees than Girardi. In total(since Girardi began his managerial career in 2006 with the Florida Marlins, where he won 78 games, to this day, Girardi has won 988 games in his career. A very nice record for another baseball guy who was a catcher during his playing days.

Both of these managers have this in common: They managed a team for 10 consecutive seasons, Dusty the Giants and Joe the Yankees and it is fair to say that a 10 year career for a manager in one city is a long one and not very common these days.

They are two managers than could be back, during a year where not many skippers got the guillotine.