La Russa climbed wins list on way to Hall of Fame
When Tony La Russa debuted as a big league manager, Sparky Anderson was already a two-time World Series champion and the owner of more than 800 big league victories.
Twenty-six years later, La Russa caught up with Anderson en route to Cooperstown.
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When the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 on Aug. 25, 2005, it marked the 2,195th win of La Russa’s career, sending him past Anderson into third place on the all-time wins list. La Russa trailed only Connie Mack (3,731 wins) and John McGraw (2,763 wins) on the all-time list.
“I’ve always felt it’s not personal, it’s organizational and being in the right place at the right time,” La Russa told the Associated Press. “But tonight, I’m going to take a little personal tour. It was a very emotional day.”
La Russa and the Cardinals were on their way to their second straight 100-win season in 2005. St. Louis would fall to Houston in the NLCS that year on the heels of a defeat at the hands of the Red Sox in the 2004 World Series. But in 2006, La Russa took an 83-win Cardinals team all the way to the Fall Classic – where they defeated his longtime friend Jim Leyland, who was managing the Tigers.
“I don’t know if too many guys really understand it,” Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds told the AP. “The two guys ahead of him obviously managed for a long time, so it’s a nice milestone.”
La Russa debuted as the White Sox manager at the age of 34 on Aug. 2, 1979. He played in 132 games over parts of six big league seasons as a utility infielder, hanging up his cleats after spending all of the 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977 seasons in the minor leagues.
With a law degree in hand – obtained while attending college in the offseason – La Russa then decided to try managing. He skippered the White Sox’s Double-A Knoxville team in 1978 and was promoted to Triple-A Iowa in 1979.
When Chicago dismissed Don Kessinger – the last player/manager in American League history – La Russa got the job, taking over on Aug. 2, 1979.
He managed the White Sox for parts of nine seasons, leading Chicago to the AL West title in 1983. He was fired early in the 1986 season, but was named the manager of the Athletics before the year was out. He led the A’s to three AL pennants and the 1989 World Series title before taking over the Cardinals in 1996.
La Russa would manage through the 2011 season, leaving the game on top after the Cardinals won another World Series title that year. In 33 seasons managing the White Sox, Athletics and Cardinals, La Russa posted a record of 2,728-2,365, good for a .536 winning percentage. His teams finished in first place in their division 12 times and qualified for the Wild Card in two additional seasons.
La Russa’s squads won six league pennants and three World Series titles. He was named his league’s Manager of the Year four times, finishing as the runner-up in the voting on five occasions.
“He always wants to be on top,” said Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols.
La Russa was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014.
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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