Tommy Lasorda, who claimed to be “bleeding the blue Dodger” since joining the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949 and decades later became the colorful and highly successful manager of the transplanted Los Angeles Dodgers, winning two World Series titles, he died Thursday night.
Lasorda was 93 years old. The dodgers announced that Lasorda suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at home and was rushed to hospital. Lasorda was pronounced dead at 10:57.
“Words can’t express my feelings,” former Mets manager Bobby Valentine tweeted. “A 52-year-old friend and mentor is no longer with us. Tommy, no one will ever fill the void you left. Thanks for everything. RIP “
Lasorda was released from hospital on Tuesday after being hospitalized in mid-November for undisclosed reasons.
In October, he was at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, in his role as special advisor to team president Mark Walter, to see the Dodgers beat the Rays and win their first World Championship since his 1988 team. by the winner of Kirk Gibson’s game. home run off Dennis Eckersley, performed feat.
In 20 seasons as a manager (1977-96), Lasorda led the Dodgers to two world championships (1981, 1988), four National League pennants and eight division titles.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 in his first year of eligibility and, at the time of his death, was the oldest living member of the hall.
Not bad for a left-handed pitcher who has appeared in just 26 major league games over three seasons with the Dodgers and Kansas City Athletics. Lasorda, who originally signed with the Phillies in his hometown, made three appearances for the Dodgers in 1954, was sent to the minors when the Dodgers kept an 18-year-old left-hander named Sandy Koufax instead.
“When [general manager] BUZZ [Bavasi] he told me I was coming down, I told him he was crazy, “Lasorda told MLB.com in 2005.” That guy couldn’t hit a 50-foot barn door and I won 20 games [in the minors]. So, honestly, I can say that it took the biggest left-hander in the history of the game to replace me.
“I still think they were wrong.”
Lasorda made his only start for Brooklyn next season. He was eliminated in the first half after throwing three wild pitches and was pinned to a play at home when Wally Moon of St. Louis. Louis scored on that third wild pitch. Lasorda was sent to the minors, where he had a long career, in a short time and never played for the Dodgers.
After his playing career, which also included a stint with the Yankees’ Triple-A team in Denver, where he came under the influence of Bears manager Ralph Houk, Lasorda became a scout for the Dodgers, then made his way through minor league training. he ranks before being named the Dodgers’ third base coach in 1973.
Following the 1976 season, Lasorda replaced Walter Alston, Hall of Famer, as Dodgers manager and quickly began making his way to Cooperstown, winning the flagships in his first two seasons, when his teams fell to the front. Yankees in the World Series. During his tenure, he guided nine players to the NL Rookie of the Year awards, including Steve Howe, Fernando Valenzuela, Steve Sax and Mike Piazza.
He also befriended presidents and dozens of Hollywood stars – including Frank Sinatra, Don Rickles, Milton Berle and Robert Wagner – and photos of his famous friends filled the walls of his office at Dodger Stadium.
“I tell you, only in this great nation of ours, the third-string high school team from Norristown, Pennsylvania, the son of an Italian immigrant, could be friends with some of the world’s greatest entertainers,” he told Sports Illustrated in 1984.
“I’m the only general manager in baseball,” said former Dodgers general manager Al Campanis. either at Lasorda’s restaurant in Exton, Pennsylvania. “
Among the photos, Lasorda managed 3,038 major league matches, winning 1,599. While he was known for his salty tongue at the stadium, his wife Jo claimed that neither she nor their children had ever heard that part of her husband. Lasorda’s uncolored diatribe, when a reporter asked what he thought of Dave Kingman after the Cubs slugger hit three homers and drove in eight races in a 1978 Dodgers loss, remains a classic.
“What do you think of Kingman’s performance?” Lasorda said. “What the [expletive] Do you think my opinion is about that? I think it was [expletive]. Put that on. Not [expletive] care. What is my opinion about its performance? [expletive]. He beat us three [expletive] running from home.
“What the [expletive] you mean, what is my opinion about his performance? How can you ask me such a question? Are [expletive] off to lose a [expletive] game, and you ask me my opinion about its performance? “
Lasorda’s last game came on June 23, 1996, a 4-3 victory over the Astros. The next day he drove to the hospital where he found out he had a heart attack. He retired five weeks later.
Lasorda came out of retirement to lead the US national team to a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics, defeating the heavily favored team in Cuba. He is the only man to have won a team with a World Series title and an Olympic gold medal.
Thomas Charles Lasorda was born on September 22, 1927 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, the second of five brothers born to Sabatino and Carmella Lasorda.
He was a childhood friend of Vincent Piazza, the father of Hall of Fame captor Mike Piazza. Lasorda is the godfather of Thomas Piazza, Mike’s younger brother, and Lasorda lobbied for the Dodgers to take the unknown Mike Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft, the 1390th selected player.
Lasorda is survived by his 70-year-old wife, Jo, a daughter Laura and a niece. His son, Thomas Jr., died in 1991.
A tireless supporter of various charities, Lasorda spent many of his offseasons traveling from coast to coast raising money. While ordering five-digit speech fees from corporate clients, he said he “never took a penny” from churches or schools.
“I feel I owe people something,” he once said. “I want to go out and spread the word about the Dodgers and baseball. … You could say it’s like putting something back in the pot. I have a lot to admit. “