(670 The Score) A history that goes back 50 years to their playing days is being rekindled this weekend as Tony La Russa's White Sox and Dusty Baker's Astros square off in Houston.
There has always been mutual respect shared between each man. But at the same time, there's a fierce competitiveness between La Russa and Baker from past meetings going back more than two decades. La Russa holds a 102-100 advantage against Baker in their careers.
Saying La Russa and Baker are close friends would be a reach.
"It's professional," Baker said of La Russa before Thursday's series opener, which the Astros won 10-2 over the White Sox. "I got a lot of respect for Tony and what he's done and accomplished in the game. Yes, we have had a couple of run-ins."
In 2002, when Baker was winning a National League pennant with the Giants, his club and La Russa's Cardinals had had an on-field fight. A year later when Baker led his Cubs team to within five outs of their first NL pennant in 58 years, the two managers had a memorable face-to-face shouting match at Wrigley Field during a heated September series.
Now with the White Sox and Astros as two of the best teams in the American League, these battle-tested veteran managers began preparing Thursday -- not only for each team but the other's tendencies.
At 76, La Russa is the oldest manager in baseball. Baker, who just turned 72, is the second-oldest manager. La Russa has the second-most wins (2,771) as a manager in MLB history. Baker has been managing since 1993 and is 12th on the all-time wins list with 1,932. Their career winning percentages are nearly equal, with La Russa slightly ahead at .537 compared to Baker's .533.
Both La Russa and Baker had unexpected returns to managing. Baker was hired in Houston before the 2020 season to give the Astros organization some credibility. Baker's great reputation for handling players was needed after former manager A.J. Hinch was suspended and fired in the wake of Houston's sign-stealing scandal in 2017 being uncovered. Baker hadn't managed since being let go by the Nationals after winning the NL East in 2017.
La Russa was hired in an unconventional way by White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who brought back the manager he allowed to be fired in 1986. La Russa, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, hadn't managed since retiring in 2011.
La Russa has a longstanding respect for Baker, not only because of their managing matchups but a relationship that was formed as teammates in Atlanta back in 1971.
"Dusty and I had a long relationship," La Russa said. "The only time there were sparks was when we were in the same division when he was in Chicago and Cincinnati. Glad he is in the western division. Like anybody else you respect, I'll be glad when this series is over."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.