La Russa’s steady hand results in fourth Manager of the Year Award

Tony La Russa had every reason to call the 2002 campaign in St. Louis an “unfair season.”

So when the Cardinals overcame a mountain of adversity to advance to the postseason, it was enough to earn La Russa a spot in the history books.

On Nov. 6, 2002, La Russa was named the National League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. It was the fourth time La Russa took home the honor, snapping a tie between him and Dusty Baker as the only skippers to that date with three Manager of the Year Awards – which debuted as a BBWAA award in 1983.

“We all shared in this,” La Russa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after winning the award. “With what we experienced, you usually can’t win 90 games.”

The Cardinals won 97 games, their most since 1985, in a season filled with tragedy. La Russa’s father passed away early in the season, and longtime team broadcaster Jack Buck died on June 18.

Four days later, pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead in his hotel room due to coronary artery disease.

“We’d catch a tough break and I would stop and think I just don’t know if we can get there,” La Russa said. “I think we really stood up at the most difficult time any of us remembered. I just think it was a very special year as far as toughness.”

The Cardinals rallied for 57 wins following Kile’s death despite only one pitcher – Matt Morris – being able to work at least 150 innings. St. Louis won the NL Central by 13 games over the Astros and swept the heavily favored Diamondbacks – who featured 20-game winners Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling – in the NLDS. But the magical season ended when the Giants defeated the Cardinals in five games in the NLCS.

“I thought it was asking too much,” La Russa said of the adversity, “and that this is getting unfair. But our guys kept stepping up and pulled it off.”

With the honor in 2002, La Russa joined Bobby Cox as the only managers to that point to win the award in both leagues – with La Russa having won the award with the White Sox in 1983 and the Athletics in 1988 and 1992. La Russa, Cox and Buck Showalter are the only skippers in history with as many as four Manager of the Year Awards.

La Russa managed the Cardinals through the 2011 season, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014 and then returned as the White Sox manager for two seasons in 2021 and 2022. He finished his career with 2,884 wins, second to only Connie Mack on the all-time list.

“I know we passed the test even without the wins,” La Russa told the Post-Dispatch following the 2002 season. “No one complained.

“I felt (the strength to endure) was inside me if it was ever to be called on. It was called on.”

Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum