Take a look at the details behind the longtime beef between Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa and what has transpired since between the two
Tony La Russa and Dusty Baker are the two oldest managers in the MLB, both have a history of being in the professional baseball scene for more than 50 years. The two have faced each other over 200 times, moreover, they have a had many heated encounters during the games as well.
Surprisingly, they used to be teammates back in the day. They were part of the 1971 Atlanta Braves team. Their relationship was fine infact very good back then but this changed massively after the two became managers.
Although, their relationship has improved as of now. Both of them are more than 70 years old now it wasn’t always that way.
How Did The Dusty Baker vs Tony La Russa Beef Start?
The beef between the two coaches started back in 1997 when Tony La Russa’s Cardinal hit Dusty Baker’s player Barry Bonds in consecutive at-bats in game which Baker’s team The Giants had been dominated. This was the first ever run in the two had.
Other notable run in came back in 2002 and this was so outrageous that the both the benches emptied and rushed into the pitch breaking out a brawl. The feud continued on to the 2003 season in which the two managers were seen shouting heavily at each other from the dugouts.
Another massive one was in the year 2010, the two managers made very distasteful comments about each other’s teams. The fight got so ugly that both managers had to be suspended as a result of their actions.
The beef between Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa continued on to th 2013 season. Meaning the two coaches were at each other’s nerves for over 15 years. That’s a long time considering they were former teammates.
Is the beef between Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa finally settled?
The beef has certainly calmed down recently with both managers keeping their feuds in the past. Recently, La Russa also expressed his thoughts on Dusty Baker deserving to be in the Hall of Fame. The White Sox’s coach said Baker is the deserving candidate to be put in the Hall of Fame.
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