White Sox players accept blame for failure in 2022

SAN DIEGO — Underneath it all, there’s a sense around the White Sox’ clubhouse that a new voice will be a good thing.

There is also enough respect for the résumé of baseball’s second-winningest manager that players won’t point at Tony La Russa, who will officially have the curtain drawn on his career Monday, as the prime reason for the failure of 2022.

“It’s a big blow to us,” closer Liam Hendriks told the Sun-Times on Sunday of La Russa not coming back for the final year of his contract in 2023. “Tony was a big reason I came here [as a free agent].”

But the Sox (79-80), who beat the Padres 2-1 to take their final series on the road behind seven innings of one-run ball from Lance Lynn, a home run by Elvis Andrus and an RBI single by Adam Engel, fell well below expectations during La Russa’s turbulent season. And while fans are overwhelmingly happy a new manager will run the show in 2023, the common reaction in the clubhouse to news that La Russa’s retirement will be announced Monday for health reasons was personal concern for a man who will turn 78 the next day.

“He needs to take care of his health; that’s first and foremost,” Andrew Vaughn said.

When bench coach Miguel Cairo took over for La Russa on Aug. 29, the team responded to Cairo’s “bring it or get out” message with a 13-6 record. It said plenty about the personality of a field boss rubbing off on players. It suggested a new leader is needed to replace La Russa’s serious, stone-faced demeanor.

“There’s always that possibility,” Hendriks said, “but the onus doesn’t lie with the manager, the front office or anybody except these people in this clubhouse.”

“It’s gotta be from the players,” said Joe Kelly, who signed a two-year, $17 million contract in the offseason and has a woeful 6.08 ERA in 43 relief appearances.

Oft-injured players underperformed as a whole when they weren’t hurt.

“The disappointing year we had, the players didn’t play to our potential,” Vaughn said.

“We have to go home hungrier and think about that.”

Hendriks, who closed out the victory with a scoreless ninth for his 36th save against a team that clinched a playoff berth despite a loss, said go home, take what was learned, reflect to a man on what wasn’t done well and address those things in the offseason.

“We need to make sure we realize where our deficiencies were as an organization, as a player group, whatever,” Hendriks said. “Those are things that don’t fix themselves.”

Lynn, who pitched for the Cardinals’ World Series champion in 2011 before La Russa’s first retirement, said the manager is still the same.

“You never want a new manager; that means most likely you didn’t do your job as a player,” Lynn said. “Health, and we didn’t play to our caliber as players. So we need to do a lot individually to be sure the next guy doesn’t come in and lay an egg again. That’s the truth of the matter.

“You never know what a new voice will bring in, but all in all we have to do a better job of playing quality baseball throughout the whole season.”

Lynn said he knows it’s eating at La Russa that he didn’t accomplish what he set out to do.

“He’s had a hell of a career,’’ Lynn said. ‘‘He’s a Hall of Fame manager. He’s had a great run. But when it comes to an end where you don’t really get to choose it because of health, it’s never the way anybody wants to end anything.”

ON DECK

TWINS AT SOX

Monday: Bailey Ober (2-3, 3.18 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (7-10, 3.39), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM.

Tuesday: Josh Winder (4-5, 4.31) vs. Lucas Giolito (10-9, 5.00), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM.

Wednesday: Louie Varland (0-2, 4.71) vs. Davis Martin (3-5, 3.65), 3:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM.