The White Sox Skipper’s managing skills are being questioned.
Tony La Russa faced plenty of controversy over a questionable managerial move. He walked a guy on a 1-2 count, a move rarely seen in baseball before. The next batter clubbed a homerun, making his intentional walk look all the worse. Even the White Sox broadcasters, Jason Benetti and Steve Stone, were confused. Even a fan in the stands recognized the folly of La Russa’s move, shouting, “He had two strikes, Tony” so loud it was picked up on the White Sox’s broadcast.
Max Muncy let the F-Bombs fly after he clubbed a homerun.
Max Muncy after hitting a 3-run HR immediately after Tony La Russa intentionally walked Trea Turner with two strikes:
"You fucking walk him with two strikes. Fuck you, bitch!" pic.twitter.com/ReGXadtZdu
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) June 9, 2022
Given hours to reflect on the decision, La Russa doubled down after the game, saying walking Turner with a 1-2 count “wasn’t a tough decision,” per NBC Sports Chicago.
“Is there some question about whether that was a good move or not? You know what he hits against left-handed pitching? With 0-1 or two strikes, you know what he hits? You know what Muncy hits with two strikes against left-handed pitching? Is that really a question? Because it was 1-2? Turner was a strike left against a left-hander, something you can avoid if you can.
“We had an open base and Muncy happened to be the guy behind him and that’s the better matchup. If somebody disagrees, that’s the beauty of this game. Welcome to it. That wasn’t a tough call.”
Tony La Russa defends his decision to walk Trae Turner on a 1-2 count pic.twitter.com/hyhUQgTtXa
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) June 9, 2022
You need to know when to hang it up, and if it’s not LaRussa’s time yet, it’s certainly coming.
Baseball analytics aside, it’s just a dumb call by LaRussa. Following Thursday’s loss, the White Sox are 26-29 and sit five games back of the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.
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