Los Angeles ? Three seasons in the sun with the Los Angeles Dodgers rekindled Joe Torre’s love for baseball.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager Joe Torre, right, and hitting coach Don Mattingly watch from the dugout in Tempe, Ariz., in this March 15 file photo. Torre is retiring at the end of season, and Mattingly will take over.

They also provided the former Yankees manager with the chance to leave the bench on his own terms — and that’s exactly what he’ll do next month.

Torre said Friday he will retire at the end of the season, although the 70-year-old skipper couldn’t say with certainty that he’ll never manage again. The Dodgers immediately announced hitting coach Don Mattingly will replace him in 2011.

Torre shed no tears at a news conference in Dodger Stadium before his club opened a six-game homestand against Colorado and San Diego, which have both blown past the fourth-place Dodgers in the NL West standings this season.

“Baseball has been my life, and hopefully will continue to be my life in some capacity,” Torre said. “When I came out here, it was just to find out if managing can be fun again, and it’s been fun. … But you have to make some decisions by instinct, and my instinct tells me it’s time to go.”

Torre became one of the most famous and respected coaches in American sports during 12 winning seasons that included four championships with the Yankees, but he walked away from the club following the 2007 season, New York’s fourth straight without a World Series appearance. The Yankees made a lowball contract offer that insulted Torre with its bonuses for advancing in the postseason, effectively forcing Torre to depart with his pride.