Former Los Angeles Dodgers coach Tommy Lasorda died at 93, the team announced.
He suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at his home on Thursday night and was taken to the 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 managed the Dodgers from 1976 to 1996, winning two World Series titles, four National League flags and eight division crowns. He has been named NL’s Manager of the Year twice and has won 1,599 career games.
– Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 8, 2021
Lasorda was born on September 22, 1927 and grew up in the working-class city of Norristown, Pennsylvania, located on the outskirts of Philadelphia. In 1945, at the age of 18, the left-handed pitcher had his big break by signing with the city’s Phillies organization.
“I didn’t have much skill, but I guarantee one thing, when I was on that hill of emotion, I didn’t believe there was any man alive who could hit me,” said Lasorda in 1997. “And if they hit me, what happened, I thought that it was an accident. “
Lasorda’s baseball career was interrupted in 1946 and 1947 because of military service in the US Army. Lasorda returned in 1948 and did not miss a beat; on May 31 of that year, he eliminated 25 hitters in Schenectady’s 15 inning victory over Amsterdam and was chosen in the decisive race. After that season, Lasorda was chosen by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the secondary league draft, starting a long-standing relationship with the franchise.
Lasorda reached the championship with the Dodgers in 1954 and 1955. He also played for the Kansas City Athletics in 1956, but he never played in the major leagues since that season. He retired from the launcher in 1960.
With his playing career over, Lasorda stayed with the Dodgers. He was scout for the team until he became manager of the minor league from 1965 to 1972. Seventy-five players that Lasorda managed in the minor leagues started to play in the major leagues.
In 1973, Lasorda was the coach of the third baseman of the Dodgers under the command of Hall of Fame manager, Walter Alston. When Alston retired in 1976, Lasorda was named as 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 in both seasons. In 1981, Lasorda finally got his first World Series title when the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in six games. The Dodgers also won the World Series in 1988 under Lasorda. He was present at the team’s game 6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in October, which sealed the Dodgers’ first World Series championship since the Lasorda team in 1988.
After 20 seasons, Lasorda retired as manager of the Dodgers in 1996 because of ill health. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997 by the veterans committee, but Lasorda remained active in the sport. He played a variety of roles with the Dodgers and coached the United States team that won the 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medal over favorite 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 used to make our sport grow,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement on Friday. “Tommy welcomed the Dodger players from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere – making baseball a stronger, more diverse and better game.”
Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully, who has been the voice of the Dodgers for 67 years, fondly recalled Lasorda’s energy and effort.
“There are two things about Tommy that I will always remember,” said Scully in a statement. “The first is his boundless enthusiasm. Tommy got up in the morning full of beans and kept it while he was with anyone else.
“The other was his determination. He was a guy with limited ability and tried hard to be a great Triple A pitcher. He never had that extra thing that makes him an important player, but it wasn’t because he didn’t. Try. Those are some of the things: his competitive spirit, his determination and, above all, that limitless energy and self-confidence. His heart was bigger than his talent and there were no limits to his enthusiasm. “
Distant relative of Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza and godfather of Piazza’s brother, Tommy, Lasorda was instrumental in influencing the Dodgers to select Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft. Piazza went on to become an All-Star 12 times with a career batting average of 0.308, one of nine NL Rookies of the Year playing for the Dodgers under Lasorda. Piazza ended with 427 home runs, including a record 396 as a receiver.
In 2009, Lasorda had her portrait hung at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery. Lasorda’s number 2 was retired by the Dodgers in 1997 and the main street leading to the entrance to the Dodger complex in Vero Beach, Florida, was renamed Tommy Lasorda Lane that year.
“Fifty years from now, we will still know Tommy Lasorda as a great baseball ambassador,” said former Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser, who has spent 14 of his 18 seasons playing under Lasorda. “And I think this is going to be number one on your resume.”