Tony La Russa Draws First Blood in First Matchup Against Former Team Cardinals, 5-1
After suffering from a three-game losing streak in their first three games of the season, the Chicago White Sox snapped their bad run at home, 5-1, against the team that their manager Tony La Russa managed for 16 seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals.
It is the first time that La Russa faced the team that he managed from 1996 -2011. His stint with the Cardinals resulted in a pair of World Series titles.
According to CBS Sports, before his stint with the Chicago White Sox, Tony La Russa also managed the Oakland Athletics for 10 seasons, which put him as the man who managed against all 30 current franchises in the league. The victory over the St. Louis Cardinals marks the 2,755th career win for La Russa and puts him eight wins away from John McGraw who currently sits at the second spot on the all-time list. While legendary Connie Mack leads all the managers of MLB from past to present with 3,731 wins in his career.
Meanwhile, also former Cardinal and now Chicago right-handed pitcher Lance Lynn opened the game with a strong start to earn the win over the Cardinals. Lynn managed to held the Cardinals hitless into the sixth inning, AP News reported.
Moreover, on the offensive end, rookie left fielder Andrew Vaughn came up with the big blow for the White Sox. Vaughn cracked a two-out home run off Cardinals starter Kwang Hyun Kim in the sixth to change the tempo of the game and make it 2-1.
The rookie left fielder Andrew Vaughn was not able to hit a home run in his first 23 big league games. But now, he has four homers, and all of them were made in their last 13 games. The Chicago White Sox currently hopes that their former third overall pick, Vaughn, will continue his game to cover the damage in the team caused by the injuries of Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert.
Strange Spot for La Russa
Before facing St. Louis Cardinals, the 76-year-old Hall of Famer, Tony La Russa found himself in a strange spot on Monday night, as prepares to win against a club that he guided to two World Series titles while sitting as the new manager for the Chicago White Sox.
Even before the teams started the three-game set, La Russa shared on Monday that he feels it is a different series, ESPN reported. La Russa also mentioned that he's uncomfortable and distracted about the fact that he faces the Cardinals. But he stated that he tried to tune it out as he knows that he is already on the other side of things.
In addition, La Russa also mentioned what he used to say when he manages against Jim Leyland, that "if you are against your friends, you do not want them to have a bad day." That is why they will be glad once the three games are over.
La Russa is not just facing a handful of players he once guided but also against a man who became his friend while rising in the ranks of the organization. La Russa became close over the years with current Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, who was the former manager of the minor league system in St. Louis.
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WATCH: Tony La Russa talks about facing Cardinals for first time in managerial career FROM- KSDK News
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