Tony La Russa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tony La Russa
La Russa in 2017
Infielder / Manager
Born: (1944-10-04) October 4, 1944 (age 80) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
May 10, 1963, for the Kansas City Athletics
Last appearance
April 6, 1973, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
Batting average	.199
Hits	35
Runs batted in	7
Managerial record	2,884–2,499-4
Winning %	.536
Teams
As player Kansas City / Oakland Athletics (1963, 1968–1971) Atlanta Braves (1971) Chicago Cubs (1973) As manager Chicago White Sox (1979–1986) Oakland Athletics (1986–1995) St. Louis Cardinals (1996–2011) Chicago White Sox (2021–2022) As coach Chicago White Sox (1978–1979)
Career highlights and awards
3× World Series champion (1989, 2006, 2011) 4× Manager of the Year (1983, 1988, 1992, 2002) St. Louis Cardinals No. 10 retired Athletics Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2014
Vote	100%
Election Method	Expansion Era Committee

Tony La Russa is a famous American baseball player, coach, and manager. He was involved in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 2022. He is best known for being the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox. As a manager for 33 years, La Russa led his teams to win three World Series titles. He also won six league championships and 13 division titles. His 2,884 wins as a manager are the second most in MLB history, only behind Connie Mack.

As a player, La Russa played for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs. He retired from playing in 1977. He later earned a law degree from Florida State University. In 2014, he was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Tony La Russa's Early Life

Tony La Russa was born in Tampa, Florida, on October 4, 1944. His parents were Anthony and Olivia La Russa. His grandparents came from Italy and Spain. He grew up in Ybor City, Florida, where his parents worked in a cigar factory.

Later, his family moved to West Tampa, Florida. Tony played baseball there with his friend Lou Piniella. After high school, the Kansas City Athletics signed him to play baseball. They also agreed to pay for his college education at the University of South Florida.

Tony La Russa's Playing Career

Tony La Russa started playing in the major leagues with the Kansas City A's on May 10, 1963. He had played 76 games in the minor leagues before that. He played in the major leagues for the whole 1963 season. An injury to his shoulder limited him to only 34 games that year. This shoulder injury bothered him for the rest of his playing career.

For the next six years, La Russa mostly played in the minor leagues. He returned to the A's, who had moved to Oakland, in 1968 and 1969. He played the entire 1970 season with the A's. In 1971, the A's traded him to the Atlanta Braves. His last major league game was with the Chicago Cubs on April 6, 1973. He entered as a pinch runner and scored the winning run.

In total, he played 132 major league games. He had a batting average of .199. He also had 7 RBI and scored 15 runs. He played second base, shortstop, and third base. While playing for the A's, La Russa met catcher Dave Duncan. Duncan later became a key coach on all of La Russa's managing teams.

Tony La Russa's Managing Career

Tony La Russa graduated from the University of South Florida in 1969. He earned a law degree from Florida State University College of Law in 1978. He once said he preferred playing in the minor leagues over practicing law.

Managing the Chicago White Sox (1979–1986)

The Chicago White Sox gave La Russa his first chance to manage in 1978. He started with their Double-A team, the Knoxville Sox. After half a season, he moved up to the White Sox coaching staff. In 1979, the White Sox made him their manager. At 34, La Russa was the youngest manager in MLB.

In 1983, La Russa was named American League Manager of the Year. His team won the AL West division title that year. However, they lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series. The White Sox fired La Russa in 1986 after a slow start to the season. The team's owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, later said he regretted letting La Russa go.

Managing the Oakland Athletics (1986–1995)

La Russa with the Oakland A's in 1989

Less than three weeks after being fired, the Oakland Athletics hired La Russa as their manager. La Russa and coach Dave Duncan joined the A's. They helped the team improve their record for the rest of the 1986 season.

La Russa led the Oakland A's to three straight American League championships from 1988 to 1990. They won the 1989 World Series by sweeping the San Francisco Giants. This series was delayed by an earthquake. In 1990, the A's lost the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. La Russa won two more American League Manager of the Year awards with the A's.

After the 1995 season, La Russa left Oakland. He went to manage the St. Louis Cardinals. He had a great record with Oakland, winning 798 regular season games.

Managing the St. Louis Cardinals (1996–2011)

In his first year with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996, his team won the National League Central division title. His teams won this title many times, including in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2009. In 2002, La Russa became the first manager to win the Manager of the Year award four times. On September 10, 2003, he won his 2,000th career game as a manager. He was only the seventh person in MLB history to reach this milestone.

The 2004 Cardinals had one of their best seasons, winning 105 games. They reached the World Series for the first time since 1987. However, they lost to the Boston Red Sox in four games.

Tony La Russa at Busch Stadium in 2002.

In 2006, the Cardinals returned to the World Series. They beat the Detroit Tigers 4–1. Their 83–78 regular season record was the worst ever for a World Series champion. La Russa became the second manager to win a World Series in both the American League and National League. He shared this honor with his mentor Sparky Anderson.

La Russa led the Cardinals to another World Series title in 2011. They defeated the Texas Rangers in Game 7. Three days after winning, La Russa announced his retirement. He had 2,728 regular season wins, which was third all-time. He also had 70 postseason wins, which was second all-time. La Russa was the first manager in MLB history to retire right after winning a World Series.

Returning to the Chicago White Sox (2021–2022)

After working in other baseball roles, La Russa became the manager of the White Sox again on October 29, 2020. At 76, he was the oldest manager in MLB. He was also the first manager to return to managing after being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

On June 6, 2021, La Russa passed John McGraw for second place in all-time managerial wins. He led the White Sox to their first AL Central division title since 2008. This was his 13th division title as a manager. They lost to the Houston Astros in the 2021 ALDS.

In 2022, La Russa was 77 years old and the oldest manager in baseball. He faced some criticism for his decisions during games. On August 30, La Russa stopped managing due to health concerns. He officially retired on October 3, 2022.

Managerial Record Summary

Tony La Russa's career as a manager was very successful. He managed 5,387 games in total. He won 2,884 games and lost 2,499. His winning percentage was .535. He led his teams to 13 division titles, 6 league championships, and 3 World Series titles.

Tony La Russa's Executive Roles

After retiring from managing, La Russa worked for MLB. He helped Joe Torre with on-field rules and issues. In 2014, he became the Chief Baseball Officer for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In this role, he oversaw all baseball operations.

He later joined the Boston Red Sox in 2017 as a special assistant. In 2019, he became a senior advisor for the Los Angeles Angels. In 2023, he returned to the White Sox as an advisor.

Tony La Russa's Baseball Legacy

La Russa in 2008

Tony La Russa is second in MLB history for most wins as a manager (2,884). Only Connie Mack has more wins. La Russa managed 5,097 games. He is one of only two managers in American sports history to reach 5,000 games. In 2004, he became the sixth manager to win league championships in both the American League and National League. In 2006, he became the first to win multiple championships in both leagues. He was also the second manager to win the World Series in both leagues.

La Russa is the winningest manager in St. Louis Cardinals history. He had 1,408 wins with the Cardinals from 1996 to 2011. He also holds the record for most wins by an Athletics manager since the team moved to Oakland in 1968.

Tony La Russa's number 10 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012.

In 2013, La Russa was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2014. In 2014, the Cardinals also inducted him into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.

In 2012, La Russa managed the All-Star Game for the National League. He became the first manager to win an All-Star Game in both leagues.

Tony La Russa's Personal Life

La Russa at a fundraiser for the Animal Rescue Foundation in Phoenix, Arizona, in March 2017

Tony La Russa and his wife, Elaine, started the Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation. This group helps abandoned and injured animals. They also have programs that bring animals to help children, hospital patients, and seniors. La Russa is a vegetarian. He and Elaine have two daughters, Bianca and Devon. They live in Alamo, California.

La Russa also has two older daughters, Andrea and Averie, from his first marriage. La Russa is friends with famous people outside of sports, like musician Bruce Hornsby and Bruce Springsteen.

La Russa has Italian and Spanish family roots. He speaks fluent Spanish. His father's parents came from Sicily, Italy. His mother's family came from Spain. He was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. He was also inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2008.

The La Russa family had a small role in the movie Angels in the Outfield. Tony La Russa also appeared on the game show To Tell The Truth in 1980.

In 2010, La Russa supported people's right to protest. He also said he supported Arizona's immigration law. In 2011, La Russa dealt with shingles, a health issue. He had to take a few days off for treatment.

In 2009, La Russa sued Twitter because someone made a fake page using his name. The fake page had "distasteful references" to him and his team. Twitter later improved its privacy protections.

Tony La Russa in Other Media

In 2012, La Russa released his book, One Last Strike. This book tells the story of his last season managing the St. Louis Cardinals. It describes their amazing journey to win the 2011 World Series.

In 2005, sportswriter Buzz Bissinger wrote a book about La Russa called Three Nights in August. The book focuses on La Russa's managing style during a three-game series in 2003. This series was between his Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs.

La Russa also helped create the computer programs for a series of successful video games called Tony La Russa Baseball (1991–1997). These games won many awards. They included new statistics that La Russa helped choose.

Images for kids

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  La Russa with the Oakland A's in 1989

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  Tony La Russa at Busch Stadium in 2002.

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  La Russa in 2008

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  La Russa at a fundraiser for the Animal Rescue Foundation in Phoenix, Arizona, in March 2017