Tommy Lasorda, former Los Angeles Dodgers coach, has passed away at the age of 93.
He suffered sudden cardiac arrest at his home on Thursday night and was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
Lasorda led the Dodgers from 1976 to 1996, winning two World Series titles, four National League pennants and eight division crowns. He was named National League Manager of the Year twice and won 1,599 career games.
Lasorda was born on September 22, 1927, and grew up in the working-class town of Norristown, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. In 1945, at the age of 18, the lefthanded pitcher got his big break by signing with the local Phillies organization.
“I didn’t have much skill, but I guarantee you one thing: When I stood on that hill of emotions, I didn’t think there was a man alive 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 in the United States Army. Lasorda returned in 1948 and never missed a beat; on May 31 of that year, he struckout 25 batters in Schenectady’s 15-inning win against Amsterdam and singled in the deciding run. After that season, Lasorda was selected by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the minor league draft, starting a long-term 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 never played in the major leagues since then. He retired 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 coach from 1965 to 1972. Seventy-five players who Lasorda coached in the minors went on to play in the major leagues.
In 1973 Lasorda was the third base coach for the Dodgers under Hall of Fame Walter Alston. When Alston retired in 1976, Lasorda was named 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 earned his first World Series title when the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in 6 games. The Dodgers also won the World Series in 1988 with Lasorda.
After 20 seasons, Lasorda retired as manager of the Dodgers in 1996 due to health issues. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1997, but Lasorda remained active in the sport. He played a variety of roles with the Dodgers and managed the US team that won the gold medal in place of Cuba in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Lasorda was also an official ambassador for the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009.
Lasorda was also a distant relative of Hall of Fame recipient Mike Piazza, and was godfather to Piazza’s brother, Tommy. Lasorda was instrumental in influencing the Dodgers to select Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft. Piazza became a 12-time All-Star with a .308 batting average, one of nine Rookies of the Year for the National League that played for the Dodgers under Lasorda. Piazza finished with 427 home runs, including a record of 396 as a receiver.
In 2009 Lasorda’s portrait was displayed in the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution. Lasorda’s No. 2 was retired by the Dodgers in 1997, and the main street leading to the entrance of the Dodgers complex in Vero Beach, Florida was renamed Tommy Lasorda Lane that year.
“In 50 years, we will still know Tommy Lasorda as a great ambassador for baseball,” said former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser, who played 14 of his 18 seasons under Lasorda. “And I think that’s the first thing on his resume.”