Tony La Russa reveals why 2011 was his last hurrah with the St. Louis Cardinals

One of the most successful managers in major league history, Tony La Russa called it a career with the St. Louis Cardinals after leading the team to a championship in 2011. It seemed logical to fans to retire after achieving the ultimate goal with the team for a second time after piloting the 2006 team to a championship, but in an interview with St. Louis-based radio station 101 ESPN, La Russa discussed the main reason for his departure from St. Louis.

La Russa was exhausted by the need to determine his response to dangerous pitches.

"After 2011, I had enough energy to keep going, but I was taught as a Double-A manager to protect your players," said La Russa. "I took that literally. And that is such a weighty responsibility when you see young guys pitch inside. If it was accidental and a guy got hit, what do you do about it? I got worn out making that decision."

La Russa said that he is of the belief that if a team hits your batter in an attempt to take your offense away, your team must respond in kind, but the gray area of the situation took its toll on the Hall of Fame skipper.

"I don't care if it's basketball or football; you have to find a way to retaliate," he said. "But trying to make that decision of whether it was intentional or unintentional, were they careless...if you're watching every inning 162 times and you're worried about an inside pitch, it beat me up."

Major League Baseball appears to be trying to stamp out retaliatory actions from pitchers. In 2023, Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas was ejected after hitting Ian Happ in the backside with a pitch. Happ had just injured catcher Willson Contreras on a backswing, and Mikolas felt the need to protect his battery mate. Mikolas was subsequently suspended for five games. La Russa despised this increasingly common disciplinary action toward players performing what La Russa believes is a necessary part of the game.

The responsibility required in navigating an increasingly blurred line is what drove La Russa out of the job for a decade, and his return to managing in 2021 with the Chicago White Sox did not end well, as many of his more traditional values clashed with those of younger players.

Despite the less-than-ideal conclusion to his managing career, La Russa was proud of the fact that his leadership and willingness to stand up for his team was reflected in the clubhouse while with St. Louis.

"We never had a fight in our clubhouse because the players knew that if they didn't think they were protected, they could blame me," he said. "They never went to a pitcher and said, 'You've got to protect me.' ... It was an immense responsibility."

The Cardinals' winningest manager will be present at the Opening Day festivities, which he said have no equal in baseball, and though he may not be in lockstep with today's brand of baseball, he still commands major respect in St. Louis.