Aaron Sachs & Associates is partnering with the Springfield Cardinals to host
“Dinner on the Diamond”. Please join us Saturday, September 28th, where we are excited to have Tony La Russa as our guest speaker.
 

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Born to Tony and Olivia (Cuervo) La Russa in October 1944 in Tampa, Florida, the future big-league manager took the old-fashioned route. La Russa signed his first pro contract in 1962 after playing at the University of South Florida and made his big-league debut on May 10, 1963.​

 

Over the next 10 seasons, the middle infielder played in parts of six big-league seasons before turning to managing in 1978 with Knoxville of the Double-A Southern League. A year later, he was a midseason hire as the Chicago White Sox manager.​

 

La Russa piloted the White Sox from 1979 to midseason 1986, with his 1983 team earning 99 wins and a berth into the American League Championship Series. The Oakland Athletics hired him days after the White Sox and La Russa parted ways, and he eventually led the Athletics to three consecutive American League pennants from 1988 to 1990, winning the 1989 World Series.​

 

His work in St. Louis turned around one of the game’s most storied franchises. Officially, La Russa was 1,408-1,102 in St. Louis during the regular season and led the Cardinals to the postseason nine times in his 16 seasons. They beat the Detroit Tigers in five games to win the 2006 World Series and beat the Texas Rangers in seven games to win the 2011 World Series.​

 

La Russa was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014 . The Cardinals retired his uniform number 10 on May 11, 2012 . Additionally,  La Russa managed the All-Star Game in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2005, 2007, and notably in 2012 after his retirement, totaling six All-Star Games .