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The role of a coach or manager is one that will always come with second-guessing. In the case of Tony La Russa’s decision to intentionally walk Trea Turner with two strikes in the sixth inning on Thursday, there was plenty of first-guessing to go around.
To set the stage: The White Sox trailed the Dodgers, 7–5, with a runner on first and nobody out. After jumping ahead 0–2, Chicago pitcher Bennett Sousa threw a wild pitch, allowing Freddie Freeman to advance to second base. With Sousa still way ahead in the count, La Russa instructed a free pass for Turner, putting two runners on base for Max Muncy. Five pitches later, Muncy broke the game open with a three-run homer.
Talk about an all-time backfire.
Turner had been 1-for-3 with an infield single and a stolen base to that point, and is a .319 career hitter against lefties, but the move was still puzzling to basically everyone involved. The White Sox announcers were immediately questioning the move, as was the fan who could be heard yelling in the clip to La Russa, “You’ve got two strikes, Tony!”
After the game, La Russa bristled when asked about the decision, saying, “That wasn’t a tough call.”
The White Sox have been one of baseball’s most disappointing teams to this point, coming into Thursday’s game with a 26-28 record. Chicago hired the 77-year-old to guide the team to immediate success, and so far the results have fallen short, sparking speculation that the Hall of Famer could be among the next skippers shown the door after we’ve already had two midseason firings.
However long La Russa sticks around on the North Side, Thursday’s decision won’t be forgotten any time soon.
