Sox bullpen management center stage
La Russa’s use of relievers an ongoing question
Few managers in baseball have had as great an impact on the game as Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa, whose bullpen maneuverings with Oakland and St. Louis led to the creation of a new term: “La Russaization.”
Boston Globe sports writer Bob Ryan is credited with coining the term, which he sometimes used in conjunction with an adjective, decrying the “creeping La Russaization” of the game.
In essence, La Russaization referred to the specialization of relievers, including using closers for one inning only and just in save situations, such as the Athletics’ Dennis Eckersley, and bringing in relievers to pitch to one or two batters only, depending on rightylefty matchups.
Using a handful of relievers — or more — based on matchups not only prolonged games, but also transitioned baseball from an era when pitching matchups between two name starters — Fergie Jenkins versus Bob Gibson, or Don Drysdale versus Juan Marichal — were reason enough to venture out to the ballpark.
Legendary Chicago sports writer Jerome Holtzman invented the save rule in 1969 and made closers a ton of money. But La Russa perfected late-inning pitching strategy and made middle relievers a vital part of roster construction. He was a micromanager’s micromanager, and that strategy helped him win three World Series and got him into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In his return to the game this
spring after a nine-year absence from the dugout, La Russa has been handed a ready-to-win team with a bullpen full of power arms, including elite closer Liam Hendriks.
There’s no reason to think the man who reinvented the way bullpens are employed would veer off course. But after leaving in reliever Matt Foster too long during the fateful sixth inning of Wednesday’s 8-4 loss in Seattle — and immediately regretting that decision — La Russa opted to allow starter Lance Lynn to throw a complete-game shutout against the Kansas City Royals in a 6-0 win Thursday.
La Russa easily could’ve pulled Lynn after eight innings with a six-run lead and let someone else get in some work. It’s early
in the season, and despite three blown saves already, the bullpen is supposed to be a team strength. Lynn had only one outing of more than seven innings in his 13 starts last season with the Texas Rangers, so no one would’ve batted an eye if La Russa had asked him for the ball.
But he didn’t.
“He looked at me and said, ‘Are you good?’ ” Lynn said. “And I said, ‘I’m going to finish it, does that sound good?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ That was pretty much it.”
So much for La Russaization. It was baseball’s first complete game this season, and notable for the Sox because they posted only three complete games last year, when only 29 complete games
were thrown in all of baseball during the 60-game regular season.
San Diego Padres starter Joe Musgrove threw the second complete game Friday night — a no-hitter against the Rangers — and said afterward: “There was no way I was coming out of that game.”
That’s the kind of attitude you normally want from a starter. But too often it’s lacking, so bravo to Lynn and Musgrove and their managers.
On Thursday, La Russa skipped the pen and let Lynn finish the job himself. It probably is not a trend, but Lynn nevertheless threw down the gauntlet to his fellow starters, saying it was now “in their court” to follow the leader.