One South Side Manager of the Year is honored — and another is hired.
1983
Tony La Russa, who guided the White Sox to a 99-win season and their first playoff appearance in 24 years, was named the Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. It was the first year the BBWAA handed out that award.
La Russa received 17 of a possible 28 votes to take the honor. He beat out Baltimore’s Joe Altobelli, who picked up seven first-place votes. La Russa would also take Manager of the Year honors from The Sporting News and the Associated Press.
1988
The White Sox named Jeff Torborg as the team’s new field manager. Torborg, a former major league catcher, and Cleveland manager, would go on to gain notable success with the White Sox.
His “team and family” philosophy took hold, and a young group of players stunned the baseball world by winning 94 games in 1990. He would be named Manager of the Year that season. He followed that up by winning 87 games in 1991 before being forced out by White Sox GM Ron Schueler, who wanted to hire his own man.
Torborg, by the way, is the only man in baseball history to have caught a perfect game from Sandy Koufax and a no-hitter from Nolan Ryan, as he played for the Dodgers and Angels from 1964-73. He also caught a third no-hitter, courtesy of L.A.’s Bill Singer.
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