It was widely reported this past week that former Dodgers great and longtime MLB manager Dusty Baker was retiring after 19 seasons as a player (eight with the Dodgers) and another 26 as an MLB manager. I mean, who does that, right?

Needless to say, five years from now, the extremely popular and well-respected Riverside, CA native and (wait for it…) 26th-round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves out of Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, CA, will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

“I’m very grateful and thankful to (Astros owner) Jim Crane and the Houston Astros for giving me this opportunity and to win a championship,” Baker told USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale. “I felt like they’ve been good for me, and I’ve been good for them. What I really appreciate is that Jim has been totally honest and transparent with me on all things.”

“Dusty Baker is a legend in this sport,” Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena told reporters on Monday night after the announcement. “I’ve loved every single day that I’ve gotten to share with him on this ballclub. He’s been great for me. He’s shown so much confidence in me. He’s been a great manager.”

It has long been said that Baker and then Dodgers rookie teammate Glenn Burke invented the High-Five after Baker slugged his 30th home run of the 1977 season to become the fourth Dodger to hit 30 home runs that season, joining Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, and Reggie Smith to become the first team in MLB history to do so.

Baker slugged that record-setting home run off of (ironically) Houston Astros right-hander J.R. Richard. After stepping on home plate and as he was walking back to the Dodger Stadium home dugout, Baker passed Burke, who was in the on-deck circle. Burke put his hand up high in the air and Baker slapped it.

“His hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back, so I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do. It was just something that we did,” Baker said years later in an ESPN documentary about his and Burke’s invention.

Although saying that you invented the High-Five is akin to saying that you invented the handshake or that you invented the fist bump, there is no one who can provide evidence to the contrary. Sadly, Burke was eventually blackballed from the game for being the first openly gay MLB player. He died from AIDS in 1995 at the age of 42.

Enjoy your well-deserved baseball immortality, Dusty!

Play Ball!

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