RetroSimba

Tony La Russa and Dusty Baker, who feuded as opposing managers, have a long baseball history together.

La Russa and Baker were teammates on the 1971 Atlanta Braves. La Russa also was Baker’s last manager in the big leagues, with the Oakland Athletics in 1986.

After he was fired by the White Sox, La Russa was hired on July 7, 1986, to replace Jackie Moore with the Athletics.

Baker was a 37-year-old part-time outfielder and designated hitter for Oakland. He played in 33 games for La Russa. His best performance for his new manager came on July 18 when he slugged a two-run home run (the 242nd and last of his career) against Mark Clear, walked twice and scored twice in the Athletics’ 6-1 victory over the Brewers. Boxscore

“I was only with Tony for half a year, but we talked baseball all the time,” Baker told Rob Rains in the book “Tony La Russa, Man on a Mission.” “… He told me that one of the biggest mistakes he made was that at the end of my career he should have made me part of his coaching staff in Oakland.”

The biggest contribution Baker made to La Russa’s Athletics was his recommendation that Oakland take a chance on pitcher Dave Stewart, who had been released by the Phillies in May 1986. Baker and Stewart had been teammates on the Dodgers.

Oakland signed Stewart on May 23, 1986, but he languished in the bullpen. When La Russa arrived, along with pitching coach Dave Duncan, he put Stewart in the rotation.

Stewart started La Russa’s first game as Oakland manager, and beat Roger Clemens and the Red Sox in Boston. He went on to post a 9-5 record that season, won 20 or more in each of the next four seasons for La Russa and was the ace on Oakland’s three consecutive pennant-winning teams (1988-90).