La Russa admits he didn't know rule after Sox fall to Reds in extras
Asked about the criticism he's been getting in the early part of the season Tuesday, mainly for leaving fading pitchers like starter Lucas Giolito and reliever Matt Foster in April games too long, White Sox manager Tony La Russa didn't wilt.
"I've said before, if the decision works, they're good, if they don't work, they're bad," the 76-year-old Hall of Famer said. "Just be accountable to yourself, take your best shot. You can't live and die with whether the decision worked or not."
Fair enough, but La Russa wasn't really able to explain a gaffe in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Reds in 10 innings.
After Cincinnati loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, La Russa replaced Michael Kopech with closer Liam Hendriks.
The move worked out, as Hendriks got Tucker Barnhart to ground out and send the game into extra innings in a scoreless tie.
That's when it started slipping away.
Hendriks replaced Andrew Vaughn in the Sox's batting order, so La Russa had the relief pitcher out at second base as the free runner under Major League Baseball's new rules for extra innings. Vaughn ended the ninth grounding into a double play.
However, the MLB rule also states if a pitcher is supposed to be the free runner to start extra innings, "the runner placed on second base may be the player preceding the pitcher in the batting order."
That means Jose Abreu could have been the free runner instead of Hendriks.
"The league made it really clear that it was going to be a new rule in spring training," Reds manager David Bell said after the game.
La Russa admitted he did not know the rule.
"I wasn't aware that Abreu could have run," he said. "I thought it had to be the guy who made the last out with that spot in the order. I'll reread that situation. Now I know."
With Hendriks starting the top of the 10th as the runner on second base, Yasmani Grandal walked and Leury Garcia reached first on a groundout that erased Grandal at second base and advanced Hendriks to third.
Garcia inexplicably tried stealing second and was thrown out, another curious decision. Any regrets?
"No," La Russa said. "The base was there to be stolen and we didn't steal it."
Billy Hamilton struck out to end the inning and Jesse Winker's run-scoring single off Hendriks in the bottom of the 10th ended the game and started another La Russa backlash.
Starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel was asked about his manager's not knowing the free runner rule.
"Honestly, I had no idea," Keuchel said. "I've seen some wacky and weird stuff in this game. That's one you chalk up to how lengthy the rule book has been, especially how lengthy some of these rule changes have happened in the last couple years.
"If it's anybody's fault, it's kind of everybody's fault. The manager takes the brunt of everything. If the umpires consistently miss calls and kind of struggle with the rule book and so do we, then we're all at fault here. That's kind of my take."