Tony La Russa Announces Retirement
By Editorial Staff
Future Hall of Famer Tony La Russa announced his retirement Monday. In an unexpected move, La Russa decided to step away from the game just days after leading the St. Louis Cardinals to their 11th World Championship in franchise history. La Russa told reporters Monday that during the season it just felt “like it’s the time to end it”.
La Russa steps down having collected the third most wins (2728) as a manager in baseball history, behind only Connie Mack and John McGraw. La Russa is also one of only nine managers to lead their clubs to at least three World Series wins.
During today’s press conference, La Russa indicated that he had made up his mind regarding retirement in August. La Russa told reporters that the outcome of the World Series wouldn’t have impacted his decision.
The 67-year-old looks forward to what the future holds for him, saying that he might consider buying into a Minor League club. La Russa said that he doesn’t know what offers he may receive, but seems to be interested in staying around the game in some capacity.
La Russa, who’s won four Manager of the Year awards, began his head coaching career with the White Sox in 1979. He moved on to take the reins in Oakland in 1986, leading the A’s to three consecutive World Series appearances from 1988-1990 and winning a title in 1989.
After joining the Cardinals in 1996, La Russa spent nearly a decade in St. Louis before making it back to the Fall Classic. His club lost to the Boston Red Sox in 2004 but defeated the Detroit Tigers in 2006 for La Russa’s second World Series title.
In leading the Cardinals back to the big game this season, La Russa can add the honor of taking teams to the World Series in four different decades to his long list of accomplishments. St. Louis’s victory last week cemented La Russa’s legacy as one of the greatest managers in the history of baseball.
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