In a move that’s been expected as of late, a longtime member of the baseball community is expected to hang up his cleats for the last time once the MLB season wraps up on Wednesday, October 8. On Monday, Tony La Russa announced he will not be returning as the manager of the Chicago White Sox in 2023 due to health issues.
La Russa, who’s set to turn 78 on Oct. 4, has had another long season leading his club, who’s currently battling to finish above .500 with three games to go. This comes a season after winning 90 ballgames.
The manager’s announcement comes at the end of a year that’s been met with a lot of criticism, but La Russa has been battling his failing health for some time now. Back in August, the four-time Manager of the Year winner had to miss a game due to what was simply listed as ‘medical reasons‘. Less than two weeks later, he had an eyebrow-raising move, walking speedster Trea Turner when his pitcher had already gotten two strikes against the shortstop.
Thanks to a roster that had been underperforming under the Hall of Famer’s guidance, fans broke out with a ‘Fire Tony’ chant back in June when the team was three games under .500. Obviously, those calls haven’t quieted down a few months later, with the team still in the same place.
Fans got some relief when La Russa announced he’d be stepping away from the team as he worked with a heart specialist, trying to get better control of his condition on August 31. He hasn’t managed a game since.
As the days went on, with the calendar turning from September to October, questions began to mount, wondering if La Russa would ever manage a professional baseball team again. It got to the point where the expectation suddenly was for La Russa not to return for what would be a third season with the White Sox.
Now that move appears to be official, with La Russa officially announcing he’s stepping down from his managerial post due to health issues.
Related: MLB playoffs: 2022 MLB postseason bracket, playoff schedule and format
Tony La Russa acknowledges his health is failing, but also that he didn’t do his job
While the White Sox will now need yet another new manager in 2023, it’s possible the front office would have made the decision to relieve La Russa of his duties anyway after failing to get back to the postseason. While there are various reasons the White Sox came up short, at this point, the struggles are too loud to ignore.
Even La Russa himself, while acknowledging his health isn’t where it should be, the manager made it clear he didn’t meet his own standards or expectations this season. La Russa specifically said, “I did not do my job.” There are thousands of White Sox fans who would agree.
Even if he’s no longer fit to manage the White Sox, you’d be a fool not to hope for La Russa’s health to improve as he steps away from the game. Having less to manage, hopefully La Russa can get back on the right track sooner than later.
If La Russa never manages another game, he will wrap up his career with a record of 2900-2514, or a win percentage of 53.6%. He led his teams to three World Series titles over the course of his 35 years as a manager. La Russa has already been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He has nothing left to prove.
Related: MLB power rankings 2022: Yankees, Mets among best MLB teams entering October