Monday, October 3, 2022

La Russa Retires From Managing This Time For Good


As widely expected, Tony La Russa announced he was retiring from managing. La Russa, who turns 78 tomorrow, stepped away from the Chicago White Sox in late August after health issues arose relating to his pacemaker and bench coach Miguel Cairo was appointed acting manager. 

Of course, La Russa began his big league managerial career with the Chisox when he replaced Don Kessinger during the middle of the 1979 season and manage the team for seven years leading the team to an AL West title in 1983. La Russa experienced greater managerial success with the Oakland A's where he led the team to three consecutive AL pennants between 1988 and 1990 and a World Series title in 1989. There would be three NL pennants with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, 2006 and 2011 with World Series titles in 2006 and 2011. La Russa would retire from managing after the 2011 World Series. 

Inducted into Cooperstown in 2014, La Russa would hold positions with MLB as well as with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels before he was surprisingly hired to manage the Chisox again prior to the 2021 season. La Russa led the Chisox to a decisive AL Central title before losing to the eventual AL champion Houston Astros in the ALDS. 

The White Sox were one of MLB's biggest disappointments in 2022 with La Russa's managerial decisions frequently being called into questions particularly when it came to intentionally walking hitters who had two strikes on them already. Although the White Sox could finish the season with a winning record and La Russa had a year remaining on his contract there is a possibility that he might not have been back in 2023 even if he had been healthy as a horse.

Although Cairo will get an interview, the Chisox are expected to hire outside of the organization

As for La Russa his 2,900 wins as a big league manager are second only to Connie Mack of the Philadelphia A's who had 3,731 wins. Of course, it helped that he owned the team and was thus immune from being fired. Even though La Russa's managerial career might not have had the storybook ending it did in St. Louis a decade ago, no one can take away those 2,900 wins, three World Series titles and Hall of Fame plaque 

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