The Chicago White Sox are an elite team. They have the best record in baseball, the best run differential in baseball, and aren’t even at full strength yet. However, things don’t feel right because Tony La Russa is there. He has already cost them a few baseball games which are keeping their record from being even better than it is right now. He is also just so out of touch with the way baseball is these days.
Tony La Russa is not doing well for the Chicago White Sox, despite their record.
On Monday night, Yermin Mercedes had a 3-0 count in a blowout with a position player on the mound for the Minnesota Twins. Yermin hit the ball out of the park and the Minnesota Twins were none too pleased because he broke the “unwritten rules”. Well, guess what? The unwritten rules are a joke and no longer need to be considered by anyone.
Yermin Mercedes is a player that battled so hard to get to where he is at after having a very small chance of ever making it. Now, he is doing everything he can to stay in the lineup and we are going to punish him over it?
Tony La Russa said some damaging things to the media about how he didn’t like it. He also apparently apologized to the Twins for what happened which is a complete joke. He couldn’t even have his own player’s back? Yermin playing well this season has really helped this team overcome some serious injuries to two of their best hitters. Everyone should be so thankful that he is there doing what he is doing. If Yermin stops having fun, his production might drop off so this is a really damaging sequence of events.
La Russa said he gave the take sign to Mercedes on the 3-0 pitch. He made a mistake. There's a consequence he'll have to endure within the family, per La Russa. "He's not going to do that again," La Russa said. He said it's more about sportsmanship and respect.
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) May 18, 2021
La Russa says he apologized to the Twins and that he sent the message that that was unacceptable.
— Vinnie Duber (@VinnieDuber) May 18, 2021
"He said he was playing his game. He wasn't. He's playing the game of Major League Baseball."
Major League Baseball wants its game to grow but the old guard is going to keep that from happening. Nobody cares that the Twins’ feelings were hurt because Yermin hit a home run late in a blowout game. It isn’t like pitching a position player isn’t disrespectful to the game either. This is all a complete shame and the White Sox should be ashamed of it all.
The White Sox have the best first-place lead of any team in the league and they should still fire Tony La Russa. This team is talented enough to win multiple World Series titles but it won’t win one if they have Tony La Russa dividing the locker room and making bad managerial decisions. Hopefully, Yermin ignores all of this and continues playing the game the best way that he knows how.