La Russa sees parallels between '83 White Sox, current squad

CHICAGO -- Loose parallels can be drawn between the 2026 White Sox and the 1983 White Sox.

Both squads were led by young, highly knowledgeable, and highly thought of managers, with Hall of Famer Tony La Russa at the helm 42 years ago and Will Venable running the show currently. The 1983 team started 16-24 before finishing 99-63 and winning the American League West by 20 games. The '26 squad opened at 6-13, but enters Friday’s series opener with the Royals tied for the AL Central lead and … well, their postseason fate still has months to be told.

But the togetherness, the camaraderie and the belief in success are shared by these respective teams. It’s illustrated in a recent story Venable told La Russa, who now serves as a White Sox special advisor.

“Like last year, when you struggle, forget the history of the two years before [2023, 2024],” La Russa told MLB.com. “Any team that has a struggle, and you get to the last half of the season, normally it’s, ‘How much longer, how much longer?’

“For them to rally like they did, it’s a testament to what they built. It’s very unusual. No doubt in the culture. Will told me over the winter, between the players and the staff, they all made it a point of communicating with each other and they came to camp ready to work.

“Attitude is great, but you need to have … It’s not just talent,” La Russa said. “You have to develop the talent into skills.”

La Russa presided over one of the all-time best coaching staffs, joking how White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf wanted that sort of staff because he took a look at the back of La Russa’s bubble gum card and said, "This guy can’t teach anything." Jim Leyland, the third-base coach for the ’83 White Sox and one of the four Hall of Famers from that team, primarily was a Double-A backup catcher.

“We had great attitudes,” La Russa said. “But we weren’t players.”

Those necessary skills for success are as basic as a pitcher making a pitch, a fielder making a play or a hitter taking a solid at-bat, according to La Russa. In ’83, those skills kept improving behind dedication from players and coaches, allowing that squad to battle eventual World Series champion Baltimore in a four-game loss during the American League Championship Series.

Venable’s crew has that same dedication to doing things right, with a focus as narrow as the day at hand. This ’26 squad also has players who know their respective roles -- if you are called upon to bunt, you work on bunting, as an example.

Let’s go back to that attitude and camaraderie. The togetherness of the ’26 White Sox actually began after the ’25 All-Star break and turned into a "this is a good team; this is a team that can win" demeanor during Spring Training. The ’83 squad dropped a 5-3 decision to the Rangers on Opening Day, but La Russa said their answer was a team party on the second night in Texas.

Those get-togethers would take place in hotel bars on the road, or Greg Luzinski and Jerry Koosman would rent out a suite for the group. There would be pizza one day and burgers the next.

Luzinski and Koosman ran the clubhouse. But their actions were rooted in respect for the coaching staff, exhibited through their inclusion in these lively road conversations.

“The coaches and the players, they were together relaxing. What do you think we talked about? Baseball, and there were some great stories,” La Russa said. “At some point, Bull [Luzinski] would pick up Leyland and start throwing him around.

“When you have that culture, really respecting each other and going balls out, that has a huge advantage. All you have to do is add skill.”

There will be a postgame dinner for the ’83 team after the celebration Saturday prior to a 3:10 p.m. CT first pitch. La Russa will be surrounded by 15 to 20 of his former players but will feel a little bit alone as the lone representative of this memorable coaching staff.

Hitting coach Charley Lau, infield coach Ed Brinkman and baserunning/first-base coach Dave Nelson have passed away. Leyland, pitching coach Dave Duncan and bullpen coach Art Kusnyer won’t travel for various health reasons.

Exceptional staffs and teams followed La Russa in St. Louis and Oakland, where he won three World Series titles, and then in a return to the White Sox from 2021-22. But that first division title in ’83 was something to remember.

“It was the most close-knit,” said La Russa of ’83. “I had all those years after to compare it. But it was amazing closeness that developed between the players and the coaching staff.”