CC Sabathia Rips Tony La Russa: 'He Shouldnβt Be F--king Managing' White Sox
May 20, 2021
Former American League Cy Young winner CC Sabathia unloaded on Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa amid the ongoing discussion about Yermin Mercedes' ninth-inning homer in Tuesday's win over the Minnesota Twins.
On his podcast with co-host Ryan Ruocco, Sabathia said La Russa is "out of touch with the game" and "shouldn't be f--king managing" the White Sox (warning: contains explicit language).
R2C2 @R2C2βππ π¨ππ€πͺπ‘ππ£βπ© ππ π%*#% π’ππ£ππππ£π π©πππ© π©πππ’.β @CC_Sabathia didnβt mince words with @RyanRuocco on Tony La Russa and the unwritten rules of baseball. TUNE IN!!! New episode available now: https://t.co/kOpnCWxzKM π pic.twitter.com/tKnJhnEUCr
The situation started when Mercedes homered off Willians Astudillo on a 3-0 count with the White Sox already up 15-4.
La Russa told reporters after the game that Mercedes was "clueless" and "there will be a consequence he has to endure here within our family."
The discussion continued prior to Wednesday's game between the two teams.
"What did I say publicly? I said a young player made a mistake. Which, by the way, he did and we need to acknowledge it. Did I say that he's being ostracized?" La Russa said.
La Russa also noted he wasn't aware of any blowback from White Sox players about his comments, though several of them spoke publicly in support of Mercedes.
"If a position player is on the mound, there are no rules. Let's get the game over with," Lance Lynn said. "And if you have a problem with whatever happened, then put a pitcher out there. ... The more I play this game, the more those [unwritten] rules have gone away."
White Sox star Tim Anderson wrote on Instagram, "The game wasnβt over! Keep doing you big daddy."
Twins reliever Tyler Duffey did retaliate by throwing behind Mercedes in the seventh inning of Wednesday's game. He was ejected by the home-plate umpire as a result of the pitch.
La Russa is in his first season as manager of the White Sox. He returned to the dugout for the first time since leading the St. Louis Cardinals to the 2011 World Series title. The 76-year-old spent the previous 10 years in retirement.