Cardinals manager Tony La Russa announces retirement

Three days after winning his third World Series championship, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is retiring.

The Cardinals made the announcement this morning in St. Louis.

MORE:  Coverage from KSDK-TV, St. Louis

La Russa, 67, has managed 33 seasons in the major leagues with the Cardinals, Athletics and White Sox.

NEXT MANAGER:  Francona possibility to follow La Russa

He has won six pennants, three each with the Cardinals and Athletics, made 14 playoff appearances, and his 2,728 victories rank third all-time behind Hall of Famers Connie Mack and John McGraw.

"Tony leaves behind a legacy of success that will always be remembered as one of the most successful eras in Cardinals history," team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. "I knew this day would come. I just hoped that it wouldn't.

"I was surprised at the timing of it; I could tell he'd made his mind up. In my mind, it wasn't 100% because people change. But in his mind, it was pretty definitive.''

La Russa is the only individual in major league history to win a World Series in his final season as a manager, according to the Elias Sports Bureau via ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes.

Here are some comments from La Russa at his Monday' news conference, according to MLB.com and The Associated Press.

"There isn't one (factor) that dominates (my decision). They all just come together telling you your time is over. We went through the season and I felt that this just feels like it's time to end it and I think it's going to be great for the Cardinals to refresh what's going on here. I'm looking forward to what's ahead. I'm ready to do something different ... Other than some of personal attachments, I feel good. I feel good that this is the right decision. I think this just feels like it's time to end it. ... I think it's better to step away for a long while. It's a little scary because I don't know if the phone's going to ring about doing something else in baseball."

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak admitted it would be a difficult task to find someone who could immediately make an impact following La Russa, and he said the team has a long list of candidates to replace him.

"The afterglow of winning the 11th World Series championship is very exciting, but now you look at the reality now of looking to replace a Hall of Fame manager," Mozeliak said. "That's a daunting task. The next few weeks we'll have the opportunity to find someone with high energy and someone that's enthusiastic to join the organization. There's mixed emotions as you can imagine. When you part ways with somebody after the success we've had, it's difficult.''

When asked if he'll manage again, La Russa said, "No," according to the AP. He also said he had no plans to be a GM, but he may look into some sort of baseball job in the future.

Contributing: Bob Nightengale