La Russa bet his office on a Rodón shutout, got a no-hitter originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Tony La Russa almost lost his office Wednesday night.
He got to keep it on a technicality.
The South Side skipper made a joking wager with White Sox catcher Zack Collins, telling the young backstop he could have his office if he and Carlos Rodón combined for a shutout against the Cleveland Indians.
RELATED: Carlos Rodón's long journey to a no-hitter: 'I did it'
Well, Rodón threw a no-hitter, the 20th in franchise history.
"Before the game, I told (Collins) if we pitched a shutout, he could have my office," La Russa said after the game. "I thought in the excitement he’d forget. As he walked by, he said, ‘Clear out, I’m in there.' I said, 'You had a no-hitter, that kind of kills the bet.'
"Last thing I heard was Rob (Warren, White Sox clubhouse manager) was moving my things into his locker, so I’m glad to give it up."
But as he mentioned Wednesday night, La Russa thinks the bet might be null and void thanks to Rodón and Collins doing a little more than just shutting out Cleveland.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
"You've got to be specific," he said Thursday. "I tried to be literal, I said shutout. I did not include no-hitter. So I'm sorry, it does not qualify."
It's a bummer for Collins that he won't be moving from his locker to the more spacious confines of the manager's office. But Collins should be counted on to move into the lineup a little more frequently after his sterling work Wednesday. Long carrying questions about his defensive ability behind the plate, Collins was terrific catching Rodón's no-no and received rave reviews all around.
"It was obviously a special moment. Going to be hard to recreate that again," Rodón said. "We were on the same page. I don't think I shook (him off) at all. Whatever he put down, I was throwing.
"And you can tell, he's vastly improved defensively catching. He's always been able to hit, always. But his blocking and his pitch-framing, they've grown quite a bit."
Improved enough to get an office all to himself? Maybe Collins should make another bet.
Click here to subscribe to the White Sox Talk Podcast for free.
