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Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda has died aged 93, the team have announced.
He suffered a sudden cardiopulmonary arrest at his home Thursday evening and was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
Lasorda was hospitalized on November 8 with heart problems and did not return home until Tuesday.
He led the Dodgers from 1976 to 1996, winning two World Series titles, four National League pennants and eight division crowns. He has been named NL Manager of the Year twice and has won 1,599 career games.
– Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 8, 2021
Lasorda was born September 22, 1927 and raised in the working-class town of Norristown, Pennsylvania, located just outside of Philadelphia. In 1945, at the age of 18, the left-handed pitcher got his big shot by signing with the local Phillies organization.
“I didn’t have a lot of ability, but I guarantee you one thing, when I stood on this thrill hill, I didn’t believe there was a living man who could hit me,” Lasorda said. in 1997. “And if they hit me, which they did, I thought it was an accident.”
Lasorda’s baseball career was cut short in 1946 and 1947 due to military service with the United States Army. Lasorda returned in 1948 and didn’t miss a beat; on May 31 of that year, he struck out 25 batters in Schenectady’s 15-innings win over Amsterdam and had a single in the deciding inning. After that season, Lasorda was selected by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the Minor League Draft, beginning a long-standing relationship with the franchise.
Lasorda reached the majors with the Dodgers in 1954 and 1955. He also pitched for the Kansas City Athletics in 1956, but he never played in the major leagues again after that season. He retired from the throw in 1960.
With his playing career over, Lasorda stayed with the Dodgers. He was a scout for the team until he became a minor league manager from 1965 to 1972. Seventy-five players Lasorda managed in the minors continued to play in the big leagues.
In 1973, Lasorda was the third baseman for the Dodgers under the direction of Hall of Fame Walter Alston. When Alston retired in 1976, Lasorda was appointed his replacement.
Lasorda quickly found success in Los Angeles. In 1977 and 1978, he led the Dodgers to the National League title, but lost to the Yankees in the World Series both seasons. In 1981, Lasorda finally secured his first World Series title as the Dodgers beat the Yankees in six games. The Dodgers also won the World Series in 1988 under Lasorda. He was in attendance for the team’s victory in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Rays in October that sealed the Dodgers’ first World Series championship since Team Lasorda in 1988.
After 20 seasons, Lasorda retired as manager of the Dodgers in 1996 due to health issues. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997 by the Veterans Committee, but Lasorda has remained active in the sport. He served in various roles with the Dodgers and was manager of the US team that won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics at the expense of Cuba. Lasorda was also the official ambassador for the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009.
“His passion, success, charisma and sense of humor have made him an international celebrity, a stature he has used to develop our sport,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said on Friday. “Tommy has welcomed Dodger players from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere – making baseball a stronger, more diverse and better game.”
Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, who was the voice of the Dodgers for 67 years, fondly remembered Lasorda’s energy and effort.
“There are two things about Tommy that I will always remember,” Scully said in a statement. “The first is his boundless enthusiasm. Tommy would wake up in the morning full of beans and keep him going as long as he was with someone else.
“The other was his determination. He was a guy with limited abilities and he pushed himself to be a really good Triple-A pitcher. He never really had that extra something that makes a major leaguer. , but it’s not because he didn’t. Try it. These are just a few of the things: his competitive spirit, his determination, and most of all, that energy and self-confidence. boundless. His heart was bigger than his talent and there were no rough lines for his enthusiasm. “
A distant relative of Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza and the godfather of Piazza brother Tommy, Lasorda was instrumental in influencing the Dodgers to choose Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 Draft. Piazza became 12 times All-Star with a career 0.308 batting average, one of nine NL Rookies of the Year to play for the Dodgers under Lasorda. Piazza finished with 427 home runs, including a record of 396 as a receiver.
In 2009, Lasorda had her portrait hung in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution. Lasorda’s No.2 was retired by the Dodgers in 1997 and the main street that leads to the entrance to the Dodgers compound in Vero Beach, Fla. Was renamed Tommy Lasorda Lane that year.
“Fifty years from now, we’re going to still know Tommy Lasorda as a great ambassador for baseball,” said former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser, who spent 14 of his 18 seasons playing under Lasorda. “And I think it’s gonna be the number one thing on her resume.”
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