Career Timeline of Tony La Russa: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Tony La Russa made an impact.

Tony La Russa is a highly accomplished American former MLB manager and player. Over a 33-year managerial career, he led the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox. La Russa secured three World Series titles, six league championships, and 13 division titles. With 2,884 wins, he ranks second in all-time managerial wins, trailing only Connie Mack. His career spanned from 1963 to 2022.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1933: John McGraw manages All-Star Game after retiring

In 1933, John McGraw managed the All-Star Game after retiring, since then Tony La Russa managed the All-Star Game after retiring in 2012.

1937: Connie Mack elected to Hall of Fame

In 1937, Connie Mack was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame before his retirement as a manager.

June 1962: Signed by Kansas City Athletics

In June 1962, after graduating from Jefferson High School, Tony La Russa was signed by the Kansas City Athletics as a middle infielder, with a clause for college education.

May 10, 1963: Major League Debut with Kansas City A's

On May 10, 1963, Tony La Russa made his major league debut with the Kansas City A's.

1963: MLB Debut

In 1963, Tony La Russa made his major league debut as a player.

1968: Athletics relocate to Oakland

Since the franchise relocated to Oakland in 1968, Tony La Russa holds the record for victories by an Athletics manager.

April 6, 1973: Final Game as Player

On April 6, 1973, Tony La Russa played his final game as a player with the Chicago Cubs, scoring the winning run as a pinch runner.

1977: Retirement as Player

In 1977, Tony La Russa retired from his career as a player in the minor leagues.

1979: Hemond hires La Russa to manage White Sox

In 1979, Roland Hemond hired Tony La Russa to manage the Chicago White Sox.

1979: La Russa manages the White Sox

In 1979, Tony La Russa managed the Chicago White Sox from 1979–1986.

1979: Named White Sox Manager

In 1979, Tony La Russa was named manager of the Chicago White Sox in the middle of the season.

July 30, 1980: Admitted to the Florida Bar

On July 30, 1980, Tony La Russa was admitted to the Florida Bar.

1983: La Russa leads White Sox to postseason

In 1983, Tony La Russa led the Chicago White Sox to their first postseason appearance in 24 years.

1983: AL Manager of the Year

In 1983, Tony La Russa was named American League Manager of the Year, after winning the AL West with the White Sox.

1986: La Russa manages the White Sox and A's

In 1986, Tony La Russa managed the Chicago White Sox until 1986 and started managing the Oakland Athletics from 1986–1995.

1986: Fired by the White Sox

In 1986, Tony La Russa was fired by the Chicago White Sox after a 26-38 start to the season. General Manager Ken Harrelson fired both La Russa and coach Dave Duncan during the season.

1988: La Russa leads A's to AL pennants

In 1988, Tony La Russa led the Oakland Athletics to three consecutive AL pennants from 1988 to 1990.

1988: AL Manager of the Year

In 1988, Tony La Russa won the American League Manager of the Year Award with the Oakland A's. The A's lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series that year.

1989: World Series Title with Athletics

In 1989, La Russa led the Oakland Athletics to win the World Series, defeating the San Francisco Giants.

1989: Won the Bay Area World Series

In 1989, La Russa managed the Oakland A's to win the earthquake-delayed Bay Area World Series against the San Francisco Giants.

1990: Depicted in "Men at Work"

In 1990, George Will's book "Men at Work" depicted Tony La Russa and his pitching coach Dave Duncan as using statistical analysis more than other teams in major leagues, pre-dating the Moneyball revolution.

Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball

Check it on Amazon

1990: AL Pennant, Swept in World Series

In 1990, La Russa managed the Oakland A's to their third consecutive American League Pennant but they were swept by the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.

1990: La Russa leads A's to AL pennants

In 1990, Tony La Russa led the Oakland Athletics to three consecutive AL pennants from 1988 to 1990.

1991: Release of Tony La Russa Baseball Video Game

In 1991, Tony La Russa provided the AI for the first of a series of successful video games, "Tony La Russa Baseball".

1992: Second AL Manager of the Year

In 1992, Tony La Russa won his second American League Manager of the Year award with the Oakland Athletics.

1995: Joins Cardinals

After the 1995 season, Tony La Russa left Oakland to manage the St. Louis Cardinals.

1995: La Russa manages the A's

In 1995, Tony La Russa managed the Oakland Athletics until 1995.

1996: La Russa manages the Cardinals

In 1996, Tony La Russa began managing the St. Louis Cardinals, a position he held until 2011.

1997: End of Tony La Russa Baseball Video Game Series

In 1997, the series of successful video games, "Tony La Russa Baseball", ended. The games featured statistics selected with La Russa and provided by sabermetrics authors.

2002: Fourth Manager of the Year Award

In 2002, Tony La Russa became the first manager to win the Manager of the Year award four times.

September 10, 2003: 2000th Career Win

On September 10, 2003, Tony La Russa won his 2,000th career game as a manager against the Colorado Rockies, becoming the seventh manager in Major League Baseball to reach this milestone.

2003: Managed Cardinals During 3-Game Series Against Cubs

In 2003, Tony La Russa managed the Cardinals during a 3-game series against the Chicago Cubs, which was later documented in Buzz Bissinger's book "Three Nights in August".

2004: La Russa wins pennants in both leagues

In 2004, Tony La Russa became the sixth manager in history to win pennants with both American and National League teams.

2004: Cardinals NL Champions

In 2004, Tony La Russa managed the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series after defeating the Houston Astros in a tense NLCS. They ultimately lost to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

2006: La Russa wins multiple pennants and World Series in both leagues

In 2006, Tony La Russa became the first manager ever to win multiple pennants in both leagues and the second manager to win the World Series in both leagues.

2006: World Series Win with Cardinals

In 2006, Tony La Russa led the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series victory over the Detroit Tigers. He became the second manager to win a World Series in both the American and National Leagues.

August 31, 2007: La Russa becomes leader in wins for Cardinals' managers

On August 31, 2007, Tony La Russa became the leader in wins by St. Louis Cardinals managers, surpassing Red Schoendienst, after the Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8–5.

2008: White Sox Win Division Title

In 2008, The Chicago White Sox had won their first AL Central division title since 2008, prior to La Russa leading them to another in 2021.

June 21, 2009: La Russa achieves 2,500th win

On June 21, 2009, Tony La Russa managed his 2,500th win against the Kansas City Royals, becoming only the third manager to reach that milestone after Connie Mack and John McGraw.

2010: La Russa is the longest-tenured manager in MLB

In 2010, after Bobby Cox retired, Tony La Russa was the longest-tenured manager in Major League Baseball.

February 10, 2011: La Russa becomes longest-tenured bench boss among Big Four sports leagues

On February 10, 2011, after the resignation of Jerry Sloan from the Utah Jazz, Tony La Russa became the longest-tenured bench boss among all the Big Four sports leagues.

2011: La Russa manages the Cardinals

In 2011, Tony La Russa ended his time managing the St. Louis Cardinals, a position he held from 1996.

2011: Cardinals win the World Series; La Russa retires

In 2011, Tony La Russa led the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series victory after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs. The Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers in Game 7 to secure their 11th World Championship. Following the win, La Russa announced his retirement, finishing his career with impressive records in postseason and regular season wins, games managed, and years managing.

2011: Managed St. Louis Cardinals to World Series Championship

In 2011, Tony La Russa managed the St. Louis Cardinals during their remarkable journey to becoming the World Series Champions.

2011: Second World Series Title with Cardinals and Retirement

In 2011, Tony La Russa won his second World Series title with the St. Louis Cardinals and subsequently retired as a major league manager after 34 seasons.

2012: La Russa manages All-Star Game after retiring

In 2012, Tony La Russa managed the All-Star Game after retiring, becoming the second manager to do so since John McGraw in 1933. He also became the first manager to win an All-Star Game in both leagues with his 8–0 win in Kansas City.

2012: Release of Memoir "One Last Strike"

In 2012, Tony La Russa released his New York Times bestselling memoir, "One Last Strike", which chronicles his final season as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and their journey to winning the 2011 World Series.

One Last Strike: Fifty Years in Baseball, Ten and Half Games Back, and One Final Championship Season

Check it on Amazon

2012: La Russa manages the National League All-Stars

In 2012, despite having retired, Tony La Russa managed the National League All-Stars in the MLB All-Star Game. The National League won the game with a score of 8–0, marking La Russa's final appearance as a manager for the Cardinals.

May 17, 2014: La Russa becomes Chief Baseball Officer for the Diamondbacks

On May 17, 2014, Tony La Russa accepted a position as Chief Baseball Officer for the Arizona Diamondbacks, overseeing the entire baseball operations department.

2014: Chief Baseball Officer for Diamondbacks

In 2014, Tony La Russa became the chief baseball officer for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

2014: La Russa Reunites with Former Assistants

In 2014, after joining the Diamondbacks, Tony La Russa was reunited with former assistants Duncan and McKay, and Roland Hemond, who had previously hired him to manage the White Sox in 1979.

December 4, 2015: Diamondbacks sign Zack Greinke

On December 4, 2015, the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a six-year contract with free agent pitcher Zack Greinke worth $206.5 million, setting a record for the highest annual average value in MLB at the time.

2016: La Russa Demoted to Chief Baseball Analyst/Advisor

Following a disappointing 93-loss season in 2016, Tony La Russa was demoted to Chief Baseball Analyst/Advisor with the Diamondbacks. The team also fired general manager Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale.

November 2017: La Russa joins the Boston Red Sox

In November 2017, Tony La Russa joined the Boston Red Sox as vice president and special assistant to the president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski. He assisted with player development, advised coaches, and consulted with manager Alex Cora.

2017: La Russa Resigns from the Diamondbacks

After the 2017 season, Tony La Russa resigned from his position with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

November 2019: La Russa hired as Senior Advisor for the Angels

In November 2019, the Los Angeles Angels hired Tony La Russa as a senior advisor for baseball operations after Dave Dombrowski was released by the Red Sox.

October 29, 2020: La Russa hired as White Sox Manager

On October 29, 2020, Tony La Russa was announced as the manager of the Chicago White Sox, replacing Rick Renteria. At the age of 76, La Russa became the oldest manager in MLB and the first manager to return to managing after being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

June 6, 2021: La Russa passes McGraw in managerial wins

On June 6, 2021, Tony La Russa surpassed John McGraw for second place in all-time managerial wins. He also led the White Sox to their first AL Central division title since 2008.