High off of making the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, the Cincinnati Reds wasted no time in taking care of manager Dusty Baker’s contract situation, awarding Baker with a 2-year extension.

Why 2 years? Apparently, like the majority of players, Baker’s a little superstitious. “I’ve had some of my best success on two-year contracts,” Baker said.

No financial details have leaked yet, but it’s likely he’ll have gotten a bit of a raise. Baker’s first contract was a 3-year deal reportedly worth $10 million. In those 3 years, the Reds improved a bit every year, going 74-88, 78-84, and finally 91-71 this year.

Despite the great improvement this year, Baker’s record with Cincinnati sits at just .500, 243-243. In his four years with the Chicago Cubs, he went 322-326, but then that team worsened every year as he seemed to lose control of the clubhouse and the respect of the players. Clearly, that’s not happening for the Reds. Not with quotes like this from Nick Masset.

“That’s awesome. I’m really excited for him,” said Masset, who Baker stuck with when he struggled early in the season. “He’s been such a huge asset for the team. He’s really someone we look up to and can confide in daily. He’s such a wonderful person to have around. He’s very family-oriented. He would do anything for us and we’d do the same for him. It definitely makes it a good atmosphere to be in when he’s around.”

So now that the question of Dusty Baker’s future is out of the way, let’s get to the playoffs.