Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa is stepping down from his job with the Chicago White Sox due to a series of health issues, ending a disappointing two-year stint on the South Side.
La Russa announced his resignation on Monday, a day before his 78th birthday.
The three-time World Series champion has been away from the team since August 30 as he has deals with complications from a pacemaker that was implanted in February.
La Russa has also been dealing with a second, undisclosed health issue that led to his resignation.
"It's become obvious that the length of the treatment and recovery process for the second issue makes it impossible to be the manager in 2023,'' La Russa said. "The timing of this announcement now enables the front office to include filling the manager position with their other off-season priorities."
La Russa added that his "overall prognosis is good, and I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me with well wishes related to my health."
After winning the AL Central with a 93-69 record last season, the White Sox entered this year among the American League favourites but have failed to live up to expectations.
Chicago entered play Monday at 79-80, already eliminated from playoff contention.
The White Sox did stage a run in early September under interim manager Miguel Cairo, going 12-5 through September 18, when they were just three-and-a-half games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the division.
The club proceeded to go on an eight-game losing streak with Cleveland securing the division title.
La Russa took accountability for Chicago’s up-and-down season as the White Sox remain without a postseason series win since the 2005 World Series.
"I understand the ultimate responsibility for each minus this season belongs to the manager," he said. "That's accurate, because there's always something else you could do.
"I was hired to provide positive, difference-making leadership and support. Our record this year is proof I did not do my job."
La Russa did not say if he would consider managing another team in 2024 or beyond. He has a career record of 2,900-2,514 (.536 win percentage) with the White Sox (1979-86, 2021-22), Oakland Athletics (1986-95) and St. Louis Cardinals (1996-2011).
General manager Rick Hahn said the White Sox will begin an exhaustive search for a new manager and will be looking for "different perspectives" from that hire.
"One thing that perhaps breaks from the mould of at least the last few hires: having a history with the White Sox, having some sort of connection to White Sox DNA is by no means a requirement.”
Despite under-achieving in 2022, Chicago’s roster includes several bright spots, including outfielder Luis Robert and breakout starter Dylan Cease.
"It was a disappointing year," Hahn said. "We all need to get better at multiple facets. There needs to be ... obviously manager/staff changes and personnel changes.
"My only point is, and it's easy at the end of a disappointing season to say you have to burn it to the ground. I think that's not where we're at as an organisation."
Judge hits MLB-leading 53rd homer as Yankees beat Red Sox
Aaron Judge has once again found his power stroke.
Judge hit his major league-leading 53rd home run to help the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Sunday.
Judge's two-run homer travelled 445 feet and bounced off the glass window of a restaurant beyond the centre field fence at Yankee Stadium.
It marked the slugger's second home run in three games following a career-high 16-game homer-less streak.
Gleyber Torres also homered for the Yankees (87-63), who took three of four games from the Red Sox to open a three-game lead atop the AL East over the second-place Baltimore Orioles.
The Red Sox (75-75), meanwhile, dropped 4 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the AL's final wild-card spot.
Tyler O’Neill hit a two-run homer off Yankees starter Carlos Rodón for his 31st home run of the season and sixth in the last nine games.
Those were the only runs permitted by Rodón, who yielded six hits over 5 1/3 innings to earn his career-best 15th win.
Phillies top Mets on Realmuto's walk-off single
For the second day in a row the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies rallied late, winning 2-1 on J.T. Realmuto's walk-off single in the ninth inning to hand the New York Mets another discouraging defeat.
The game was scoreless until Tyrone Taylor homered in the top of the eighth inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.
The Phillies responded with Buddy Kennedy's RBI double in the bottom of the eighth, and won it an inning later on Realmuto's game-ending single off Edwin Díaz with two outs for his sixth career walk-off hit.
Philadelphia (90-59) reached the 90-win mark for the second year in a row by winning the final two games of the three-game series with New York after rallying for a 6-4 victory on Saturday.
Adding to the Mets' woes, All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor left the game in the second inning with back discomfort.
Lindor, who has been instrumental to New York's play-off push, also left Friday's game with low back soreness, and is scheduled to get an MRI on Monday.
In a bit of good news for the Mets (81-68), the Atlanta Braves later lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving New York tied with Atlanta for the NL's final wild card-spot.
Dodgers use seven-run ninth inning to beat Braves
The Los Angeles Dodgers scored seven runs in the ninth inning - all with two outs - to beat the Atlanta Braves 9-2.
Mookie Betts started the ninth-inning outburst with a tiebreaking single and Freddie Freeman followed with a two-run single.
The Dodgers then poured it on with Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman and Max Muncy hitting consecutive home runs.
Los Angeles' big ninth started against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, who had not allowed an earned run since June 16 - a span of 35 1/3 innings.
Shohei Ohtani was 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored for the Dodgers (88-61), who own a two-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League's No. 2 seed.
Matt Olson and Travis d'Arnaud drove in runs for the Braves (81-68), who are tied with the Mets with 13 games remaining.
MLB:Braves' Sale shuts down Ohtani in MLB-best 17th victory
Chris Sale pitched six strong innings to become the first 17-game winner in the majors and Matt Olson drove in four runs to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 10-1 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.
Sale (17-3), who hasn't been charged with a loss since June 27, became the first player in Braves franchise history to allow no more than two earned runs in 17 straight starts, passing Hall of Famer Greg Maddux's previous record of 16 starts. He also surpassed Padres starter Dylan Cease for most strikeouts in the NL this season with 219.
Atlanta is now a season-high 14 games over .500 and pulled even with the Mets for the final NL wild-card spot. New York lost to the Phillies 6-4 on Saturday night.
Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 2 with a walk and has stalled in his quest to be the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, going 0 for 6 in his last two games since hitting his major league-best 47th home run on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs.
Atlanta scored six runs in the sixth inning, which featured Olson's bases-loaded double and RBIs from Whit Merrifield and Michael Harris II.
Harper’s blasts rally Phillies
Bryce Harper homered twice, Cal Stevenson hit a two-run, go-ahead double in the seventh and made a run-saving, highlight-reel catch in the eighth and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied to cool off the New York Mets with a 6-4 victory.
J.T. Realmuto added an RBI double for the Phillies, who have won 10 of 13 and lead the Mets by eight games in the division. The teams will wrap up the three-game series on Sunday afternoon before the Mets host the Phillies for four games from Sept. 19-22.
Starling Marte singled, tripled and drove in three runs and Luisangel Acuña had a pair of singles in his major-league debut for the Mets, who lost for just the third time in the last 15 games. New York dropped into a tie with Atlanta for the final wild card spot in the National League.
With the Phillies trailing 4-0, Harper launched the first of his two drives off starter Luis Severino with one out in the fourth, a 397-foot opposite-field drive off an 85-mph changeup. He pulled Philadelphia within 4-3 in the sixth with a two-run shot off an 87-mph slider that came on a 3-2 count. The two-time NL MVP, who hadn't homered since Aug. 9, has 28 home runs on the year.
Philadelphia went ahead in the seventh. Danny Young surrendered a pair of singles to Bryson Stott and Realmuto to start the frame, with both advancing on Brandon Marsh’s sacrifice bunt.
Reed Garrett relieved and struck out pinch-hitter Weston Wilson before Stevenson clubbed a 3-2, 92-mph cutter to the wall in right to score Stott and Realmuto.
Adames stars as Brewers outslug Diamondbacks
Willy Adames hit a grand slam as part of a two-homer night, Garrett Mitchell added a two-run homer and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 15-8.
Milwaukee's magic number to win the NL Central is down to 3.
Arizona still has sole possession of the second NL wild-card spot, but is just one game ahead of the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets with 14 games to play.
The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the first on William Contreras' sacrifice fly that scored Brice Turang, who reached on a leadoff walk. They kept their advantage when Sal Frelick robbed Corbin Carroll of a solo homer, leaping to reach over the fence and make the catch.
Milwaukee scored seven runs in the second inning, all with two outs.
Brandon Pfaadt retired the first two batters of the second before the next seven batters reached base. Turang and Jackson Chourio hit back-to-back RBI singles, Contreras walked to load the bases, Garrett Mitchell walked to force in a run and then Adames launched a sweeper into the left field seats for an 8-0 lead.
Adames had five RBIs, pushing his NL leading total to 107. Mitchell reached base five times, including three walks. Contreras hit a two-run homer in the ninth to make it 15-8.
MLB: Tigers lose combined no-hitter with two outs in 9th of 1-0 win over Orioles
Gunnar Henderson tripled with two outs in the ninth inning to break up the Tigers’ combined no-hit bid and Detroit held on for a 1-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
Beau Brieske and Brant Hurter combined to retire Baltimore’s first 21 batters before Adley Rutschman’s eight-pitch walk leading off the eighth.
Brenan Hanifee retired the next three batters and Tyler Holton relieved to start the ninth.
Emmanuel Rivera flied out and pinch-hitter Coby Mayo took a called third strike before Henderson pulled a first-pitch sweeper into the right-field corner for the Orioles’ second baserunner.
Henderson became just the second batter to end a no-hit bid with a two-out triple in the ninth, joining the St. Louis Cardinals' Bernard Gilkey against the Chicago Cubs' Frank Castillo on Sept. 25, 1995.
Holton then struck out Anthony Santander to remain perfect in eight save chances.
Kerry Carpenter homered on the third pitch of the game from Zach Eflin, who allowed five hits in 6 2/3 innings.
The Tigers have won five of six to pull within 2 ½ games of Minnesota for the final AL wild card.
Brieske was planned to start as an opener and retired four batters while throwing 11 of 16 pitches for strikes.
Hurter struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings while throwing 53 of 71 pitches for strikes. He started 17 of 18 batters with strikes, including his first 14.
Hanifee relieved after Rutschman’s walk and got a pair of strikeouts around a forceout.
Judge ends homer drought with slam
Aaron Judge ended the longest home run drought of his career with a go-ahead grand slam to lift the New York Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.
The star slugger had gone 16 games and 75 plate appearances without a longball before launching a clutch drive into the lower left-field seats off reliever Cam Booser in the seventh inning to give the AL East leaders a 5-4 advantage.
Judge's eighth career slam and second this season sent the Yankee Stadium crowd of 45,292 into a frenzy, and he came out of the dugout for a curtain call.
It was the 52nd homer of the season for Judge, who also leads the majors with 130 RBIs. He hadn't gone deep since Aug. 25, when he homered twice against Colorado.
New York moved three games ahead of Baltimore for the AL East lead, its largest cushion since it led by 3 ½ games before a June 15 defeat at Boston that started a 4-14 slide.
Mark Leiter Jr. got four outs in relief of starter Clarke Schmidt for the win. Luke Weaver struck out five in two scoreless innings for his second career save.
Mets use homers to rout Phillies
Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Harrison Bader hit three-run homers, Jose Quintana allowed three hits in seven shutout innings and the New York Mets routed the Philadelphia Phillies 11-3 for their 12th win in 14 games.
Alvarez and Nimmo homered in a three-run fifth inning off Aaron Nola, Alvarez's second three-run homer in a span of three at-bats.
Bader homered in the eighth against Tyler Gilbert and Pete Alonso went deep in the ninth off infielder Kody Clemens. It was the first big league homer allowed in 12 career pitching appearances by Clemens. His father, seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, gave up 363 in 24 seasons.
New York All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor had an RBI double and left in the middle of the seventh because of lower back soreness. Manager Carlos Mendoza said it was precautionary and Lindor likely would've stayed in the game had the score been closer.
Philadelphia leads the NL East by seven games over New York, which remained one game ahead of Atlanta for the last wild card. The series opener began a stretch of seven games in 10 days between the rivals.
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