A decade ago, Lance Lynn was a rookie pitching out of the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen on baseball's biggest stage.
Despite making his big league debut earlier during the 2011 season, Lynn was called on 10 times during the Cardinals' postseason run, including in five of the seven games of that year's World Series.
Who was making those calls to the 'pen to bring Lynn into the game? The same manager who will be writing Lynn's name on lineup cards with the White Sox in 2021: Tony La Russa.
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Lynn and La Russa are together again, this time as the White Sox two biggest offseason acquisitions to date. The team brought La Russa back as their manager. Rick Hahn's front office swung a trade for Lynn, the veteran right-hander.
Both are here for the same reason, to help lead the win-now White Sox to a World Series title. Just like they did a decade ago in St. Louis.
"Ten years ago we won a World Series," Lynn said Tuesday, "and hopefully 10 years later we can do the same."
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That's the idea, the White Sox bringing the pair aboard because they possess the same reliability. They swapped Rick Renteria for La Russa because he knows what it takes to get a team to the promised land. They traded for Lynn because he adds a dependable front-of-the-rotation arm to the starting staff, the lack of which brought an early end to the White Sox postseason appearance in 2020.
South Side fans are still getting used to the idea of La Russa returning to his old job to manage an exciting young team. But as those who have played for La Russa have continually done since he rejoined the White Sox, Lynn painted a picture of someone who can get the job done.
"Even though Tony's been away from the game for nine years, he eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. He always has, and that's what made him the Hall-of-Fame manager that he is," he said. "A few things have changed over the past nine years, but he was kind of ahead of his time when he was doing his thing. I remember when I was a rookie, when we were in the playoffs, he used the bullpen more innings than the starters. ... He was doing it because he could feel the game, he knew what guys were capable of, and he put guys in the best situations.
"Tony's all business and all about winning. That's the only thing that matters. I remember when I was a rookie, it was, 'How's your day going?' 'I'll let you know after the game.' It all revolves around winning the game and doing everything you can to compete the best you can and succeed and win."
A chief concern of those outside the organization is how someone who hasn't managed in nine years will relate to today's players, guys who are celebrated for being the antithesis of old-school. Well, Lynn was just 24 when he played for La Russa the first time. The Hall-of-Fame manager was in his final season with the Cardinals, at age 67.
Speaking from experience, he said La Russa will be a plus for these White Sox.
"I find that your manager is your manager and you respect him because he's your manager, but you also have to have a little bit of the back and forth. And Tony has that ability to do that," Lynn said. "I was able as a young kid to have that with him, and we've been able to keep our relationship up over the years, in passing and things like that.
"I think (the conversation about La Russa has) kind of put him as a, 'Hey, this is how it's going to be' manager, and that's not who he is. He has the ability to be sociable and be personal. That's why he's been successful.
"I'm looking forward to it. I think he is, too, or he wouldn't jump out of retirement after nine years. He's ready to win, and he's been itching to do this. And hopefully we can all get together here and make a good run at things."
And so on a daily basis, it sounds like the mission will be the same as it was when La Russa and Lynn were together in St. Louis: to win. The White Sox, their new manager and the newest addition to their starting rotation are all hoping that mission will be accomplished, over and over again, all the way through the end of October.