Tony La Russa and the White Sox found themselves in baseball’s strangest drama after Yermín Mercedes hit a 3-0 home run off a position player during a blowout. The Twins had conceded the game by putting a non-pitcher on the mound, but La Russa saw Mercedes’ homer as an offense against the unwritten rules. He claimed he ran up yelling “take, take, take” to stop it and later apologized publicly to the Twins, calling it a “grave mistake.” To many, it looked like La Russa was trying to prevent retaliation from the Twins. Despite that, pitcher Tyler Duffey still threw behind Mercedes in the next game and got ejected, as did Twins manager Rocco Baldelli after arguing the decision.
La Russa’s comments after the incident only added to the confusion. He defended the Twins’ actions and criticized his own player, saying Mercedes didn’t respect the game. This sparked backlash, especially since several teammates like Tim Anderson and Lance Lynn backed Mercedes. Anderson said the game wasn’t over, while Lynn pointed out that if the Twins didn’t want this kind of thing to happen, they shouldn’t be putting in position players to pitch. The whole situation highlighted a clear divide between La Russa’s old-school approach and the clubhouse vibe. His bizarre solution—sending up pitchers to tap the ball in similar future scenarios—only made his stance look more out of touch.