Tony La Russa has won more games as a baseball manager than anyone in the history of the sport except Connie Mack, managing 15 postseasons and winning three World Series.
La Russa said the most exciting game and most enthusiastic crowd he has witnessed was the White Sox’s 12-6 victory over the Astros in Game 3 of the 2021 ALDS at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Maybe it’s because La Russa’s roots run deep in Chicago, where his Hall of Fame managerial career began with the Sox in 1979. Or because the year he was coaxed out of retirement at age 76, the Sox were trailing by four runs in a best-of-five series, 2-0.
The Sox fought their way to victory, while the 40,288 spectators remained on their feet, amidst no crowd restrictions, for most of the game, which lasted four hours and 26 minutes.
“I still get goosebumps,” La Russa told the Sun-Times this week.
Leury Garcia hit a three-run home run to give the lead, Yasmani Grandal also hit a home run, and Ryan Tepera, Aaron Bummer, Craig Kimbrel and Liam Hendriks retired the final 16 Astros in a row.
It’s hard to comprehend that La Russa’s goosebumps moment was only three years ago, and that the White Sox have fallen so far and are now the worst team in the Major Leagues, on par with the worst team of all time.
“A loss is not good, but it will be exciting to make up for it, and I see the commitment,” said La Russa, now special adviser for baseball operations and the coaching and player development teams.
And La Russa will always have this moment on October 10, 2021.
“I’ve been around for a long time, and think of 1983 (when the Sox won the AL West Division) and Oakland and St. Louis (three World Series champions combined), but by far the most exciting game I’ve ever been to was Game 3 of the Division Series in this stadium,” he said. “The excitement of the fans was the most important thing. And I say that with all due respect to St. Louis and Oakland.”
La Russa winces because he knows this will not go over well in St. Louis, where he coached for 16 seasons and won two championships.
“I know some people in St. Louis are not going to be happy with this,” he said.
The Astros won Game 4 and ended the Sox’s season, closing a two-season window of competition as it turned out. The following year would be the last as manager for La Russa, who resigned for health reasons with 34 games to go. Bench coach Miguel Cairo finished the season as manager and the Sox finished the season with a disappointing 81-81 record.
In 2023, the Sox finished Pedro Grifol’s first year as manager with a 61-101 record. Veterans were traded, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf fired vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn in August, and Chris Getz was promoted to GM as another rebuild was put in motion.
La Russa said the 2021 playoff game and the electric atmosphere at Guaranteed Rate Field “is what defines the White Sox.”
That’s not what it is now. Attendance is the fourth-lowest in the major leagues, notwithstanding Wednesday’s first sellout game of the season — fueled by Shoehei Ohtani and the Dodgers and a popular promotion.
The fans are upset, even angry. La Russa knows and understands that.
“Ever since I started with the White Sox, I’ve always felt the loyalty of White Sox fans to their team,” La Russa said. “You can feel it all over the city. They’re genuine, passionate and very loyal. And they’re right to be upset if you don’t play well.”
“The decision makers who put this organization together, like Chris, (assistant GMs) Josh (Barfield) and Jin (Wong), have a very good ability to improve quickly if they recognize what talent is coming their way and prepare them properly. And it makes a difference what you already have up here. I really believe that you don’t have to ask White Sox fans to be overly patient. They can improve quickly.”
