- Byname of:
- Anthony La Russa, Jr.
- Awards And Honors:
- Baseball Hall of Fame (2014)
- MLB Manager of the Year Award (x4)
- Baseball Hall of Fame (inducted in 2014)
- College:
- Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL); University of South Florida (Tampa, FL)
- Height/Weight:
- 6 ft 0 inches, 175 lb (183 cm, 79 kg)
- Batting Hand:
- right
- Throwing Hand:
- right
- Debut Date:
- May 10, 1963
- Last Game:
- April 6, 1973
- Jersey Number:
- 29 (1963-1963, Kansas City Athletics)
- 10 (1968-1968, Oakland Athletics)
- 42 (1973-1973, Chicago Cubs)
- 11 (1969-1969, Oakland Athletics)
- 42 (1971-1971, Oakland Athletics)
- 22 (1970-1970, Oakland Athletics)
- 6 (1971-1971, Atlanta Braves)
- Position:
- second baseman and shortstop
- At Bats:
- 176
- Batting Average:
- 0.199
- Hits:
- 35
- Home Runs:
- 0
- On-Base Percentage:
- 0.292
- On-Base Plus Slugging:
- 0.542
- Runs:
- 15
- Runs Batted In:
- 7
- Slugging Percentage:
- 0.25
- Stolen Bases:
- 0
- Twitter Handle:
- @TonyLaRussa
Tony La Russa
-
Who is Tony La Russa?
Tony La Russa (born in Tampa, Florida, on October 4, 1944) is a former professional baseball manager. La Russa led his teams to three World Series titles (1989, 2006, and 2011) and ranks among the winningest managers in major league history.
La Russa's managerial career spanned more than three decades, and when he retired in 2022, he had 2,884 wins and 2,499 losses. Only Connie Mack has more wins, with 3,731. He was named the AL’s Manager of the Year three times (1983, 1988, and 1992) and won the NL’s version of the award in 2002. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What roles has Tony La Russa had in baseball?
Tony La Russa had multiple roles in baseball, including player, manager, and executive. La Russa played as a second baseman and shortstop for the Kansas City Athletics, Oakland A's, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs. His managerial career spanned over three decades, during which he led his teams to three World Series titles. He managed the Chicago White Sox, Oakland A's, and St. Louis Cardinals. After retiring from managing, La Russa became the chief baseball officer for the Arizona Diamondbacks and later served as an advisor. In 2014, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Which Major League Baseball teams has Tony La Russa managed?
Tony La Russa has managed four Major League Baseball teams: the Chicago White Sox (1979-1986, 2020-2022), Oakland A's (1986-1995), St. Louis Cardinals (1996-2011), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2014-2016). He is one of the winningest managers in major league history, with 2,884 wins and 2,499 losses. La Russa led his teams to three World Series titles (1989, 2006, and 2011). He was also named Manager of the Year four times (three times in the AL and once in the NL).
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What are some achievements Tony La Russa is known for as a manager?
As a manager, Tony La Russa led his teams to three World Series titles (1989, 2006, and 2011) and ranks among the winningest managers in major league history.
La Russa guided the Chicago White Sox to a 99-win season in 1983, marking their first playoff appearance in 24 years. He transformed the Oakland A’s into a dominant force, leading them to the highest win total in the major leagues for three straight seasons (1988–90), each culminating in an American League (AL) pennant. In 2021, he achieved his 2,764th win, securing the second-highest position for career wins by a manager.
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How did Tony La Russa influence the way baseball is managed?
Tony La Russa influenced baseball management through his cerebral approach, emphasizing in-game situational substitutions based on game nuances. This style, developed early in his career, sometimes drew criticism that he "overmanaged." La Russa led the Chicago White Sox to their first playoff appearance in 24 years in 1983 and turned the Oakland A's into a dominant team, achieving the highest win total in the major leagues for three straight seasons (1988–90). His success continued with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he won multiple division titles and a World Series in 2006. La Russa's strategic approach left a lasting impact, earning him a Hall of Fame induction in 2014.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What impact has Tony La Russa had on the history of Major League Baseball?
Tony La Russa, born October 4, 1944, had a significant impact on Major League Baseball, with a managerial career spanning over three decades. La Russa led his teams to three World Series titles (1989, 2006, and 2011) and ranks as one of the winningest managers in major league history. Known for his cerebral approach, he developed a managerial style that involved frequent in-game situational substitutions, demonstrating his attention to detail. La Russa was named Manager of the Year four times and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Tony La Russa (born October 4, 1944, Tampa, Florida, U.S.) is a former professional baseball manager who led his teams to three World Series titles (1989, 2006, and 2011) and is one of the winningest managers in major league history. La Russa’s managerial career spanned more than three decades, and when he retired in 2022 he had a record of 2,884 wins and 2,499 loses. (Only Connie Mack has more wins, 3,731.)
La Russa signed to play baseball with the Kansas City Athletics (or “A’s”) out of high school. He spent the majority of his 16-season playing career in the minor leagues, but he appeared sporadically in the majors with the A’s (both in Kansas City and, later, in Oakland, where the franchise moved), the Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago Cubs. He was named the manager of a minor-league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in 1978, and his first big-league managerial job came the following year, when he took over the White Sox late in the 1979 season.
The cerebral La Russa—who earned a law degree shortly before assuming managerial duties in Chicago—proved to be a natural leader in the clubhouse. He developed a managerial style that consisted of frequent in-game situational substitutions that came in response to the great attention he paid to the nuances and flow of a particular game (which occasionally led to criticism that La Russa “overmanaged”). In 1983 he guided the White Sox to a 99-win season and the team’s first playoff appearance in 24 years. However, a slow start to the 1986 campaign and a strained working relationship with the team’s new general manager (former outfielder Ken Harrelson, who left the announcing booth to spend only one tumultuous season running the White Sox) led to La Russa’s being fired three months into the season. He was out of work for less than a month before he was hired to manage the A’s.
La Russa quickly turned the A’s into the most-dominant team in baseball. He led Oakland to the highest win total in the major leagues for three straight seasons (1988–90), each of which also ended with the Athletics’ winning the American League (AL) pennant. The team was upset in two of its World Series appearances during that period, but the A’s did defeat the San Francisco Giants to win a championship in 1989. La Russa and the A’s won another division title in 1992, but after the team posted three consecutive losing seasons (1993–95), he opted out of his contract and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals.
La Russa’s third managerial stint was even more successful than his first two. In his initial season in St. Louis, he guided the Cardinals to the first of seven division titles the team would win during his tenure. The Cardinals won a National League (NL) pennant in 2004, and in 2006 the team beat the Detroit Tigers to win the World Series. In 2011 La Russa led St. Louis on improbable comebacks to clinch a postseason berth (after trailing in the Wild Card standings by 8 1/2 games with a month remaining in the regular season) and to win the World Series (after twice being one strike away from elimination). La Russa retired soon after earning his third championship ring. He had been named the AL’s Manager of the Year three times (1983, 1988, and 1992) and won the NL’s version of the award in 2002.
Three years after his retirement from managing, La Russa joined the Arizona Diamondbacks as the team’s chief baseball officer. He was demoted to an advisory role with the franchise following the 2016 season after the Diamondbacks ran off three consecutive losing campaigns during his tenure, and he left the team after the 2017 season. La Russa then joined the Boston Red Sox as an assistant to the team’s general manager. After the 2020 season he returned to the Chicago White Sox as manager. In his first season back with the team, Chicago finished first in the Central Division, and La Russa won his 2,764th game, which moved him into second place for most career wins by a manager. In the 2021 postseason the White Sox lost in the AL Division Series. In August 2022 La Russa took a leave of absence owing to health issues, and two months later he stepped down as manager.
La Russa published a memoir, One Last Strike: Fifty Years in Baseball, Ten and a Half Games Back, and One Final Championship Season (written with Rick Hummel), in 2012. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
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