Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa didn't mince words after his club's 8-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners. A seven-run sixth inning was the culprit, and La Russa shouldered the blame.
"I did a really lousy job managing that inning," La Russa said, according to James Fegan of The Athletic.
The White Sox entered the sixth with a 4-1 lead after starter Dallas Keuchel kept the Mariners mostly at bay over five innings. The wheels came off soon after.
Chicago pulled Keuchel in favor of Matt Foster after the first two batters reached. Foster allowed five hits and issued a walk while throwing 34 pitches before being relieved. Keuchel was charged with two earned runs and Foster was saddled with the other five.
In hindsight, La Russa felt he reacted too slowly to his pitcher's struggles.
"That's the clearest example of why I'm upset with myself," La Russa said, according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. "He faced too many hitters. That's lousy managing. You saw what he did that one day. ... Pushed him too far. Stupid, lousy, no excuse."
La Russa, 76, signed a multi-year contract with the White Sox in October. He last managed in 2011 when his St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series against the Texas Rangers.
The loss drops Chicago to 3-4 on the season, but the White Sox won the previous two games in Seattle before Wednesday's meltdown. The White Sox return to Guaranteed Rate Field for their home opener against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
