Tommy Lasorda

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Lasorda signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1945 and began his professional career that season with the Concord Weavers of the Class D North Carolina State League. He missed the 1946 and 1947 seasons because of a stint in the United States Army. He served on active duty from October 1945 until spring 1947. Lasorda returned to baseball in 1948 with the Schenectady Blue Jays of the Canadian–American League. On May 31, 1948, he struck out 25 Amsterdam Rugmakers in a 15-inning game, setting a professional record, and drove in the winning run with a single. He played with Schenectady from 1948 through 1950. Lasorda then played for Almendares of the Cuban League in Havana, Cuba in 1950–52 and again in 1958–60, compiling a 16–13 record in four seasons, including 8–3 with a 1.89 ERA in 1958–59. Lasorda also pitched for Marianao, a league rival of Almendares also in the Havana area. The Brooklyn Dodgers drafted Lasorda from the Phillies organization in 1949. The Dodgers sent him to the Greenville Spinners in 1949, and to the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1950. He pitched for Montreal in 1950 through 1954. Lasorda made his Major League debut on August 5, 1954, for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He made his only start for the Dodgers on May 5, 1955, but was removed after the first inning after tying a major-league record with three wild pitches in one inning and being spiked by Wally Moon of the St. Louis Cardinals when Moon scored on the third wild pitch. Lasorda made only three more appearances for the Dodgers, was optioned back to Montreal on June 8, and was replaced on the major league roster by Sandy Koufax. Before the 1956 season, Lasorda was sold to the Kansas City Athletics, Kansas City traded him to the New York Yankees for Wally Burnette in July 1956. He appeared in 22 games for the Yankees' affiliate Triple-A Denver Bears in 1956–1957, and then was sold back to the Dodgers in 1957. During his tenure with the Bears, Lasorda was profoundly influenced by Denver manager Ralph Houk, who became Lasorda's role model for a major league manager. Lasorda returned to Montreal for the 1958 through 1960 seasons, but was released in July 1960. He was the winningest pitcher in the history of the team (107–57). On June 24, 2006, he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. He ended his major league career with a 0–4 record a

In Their Own Story

Before Game 4 of the 1988 World Series, NBC broadcaster Bob Costas praised the Dodger pitching but criticized the batting as one of the worst seen. Lasorda fired up his players by exclaiming to the clubhouse, 'You hear what Costas said? He said you're the worst offensive team ever!' The Dodgers, labeled as underdogs against the favored Oakland Athletics, proceeded to win the Series in five games. Lasorda's final game as manager was a 4–3 victory over the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on June 23, 1996. The following day, he drove himself to the hospital complaining of abdominal pain and was having a heart attack. He formally announced his retirement on July 29, 1996, saying, 'I got to thinking about my little 9-month-old granddaughter, and how I'd like to be around when she goes to school.'

Reader's Guide

Al Campanis, the Dodgers' scouting director, hired Lasorda as a scout in 1960. In 1966, he became the manager of the Pocatello Chiefs in the rookie leagues, then managed the Ogden Dodgers from 1966 to 1968. To inspire confidence in his players at Ogden, he would have each of them write a letter to the LA Dodger that played their position everyday in the big leagues, informing the regular that they would be replacing him one day. He became the Dodgers' AAA Pacific Coast League manager in 1969 with the Spokane Indians. He remained manager of the AAA team when it became the Albuquerque Dukes in 1972. His 1972 Dukes team won the PCL Championship. Lasorda also managed in the Latin American winter leagues. He led the Dominican Republic team Tigres del Licey to back-to-back LIDOM titles, as well as a Caribbean Series title at the 1973 edition in Venezuela. In 1973, Lasorda became the third-base coach on the staff of Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston, serving four seasons. He was widely regarded as Alston's heir apparent and turned down several major league managing jobs elsewhere to remain in the Dodger fold. He later returned to the third-base coach's box on a temporary basis while managing the Dodgers. Lasorda became the Los Angeles Dodgers manager September 29, 1976, upon Alston's retirement. When asked by broadcaster Vin Scully if he felt any pressure replacing Alston, Lasorda responded, 'No, Vin, I'm worried about the guy who's gonna replace me. That's the guy who's gonna have it tough.' He managed the final four games of the 1976 season. Lasorda oversaw the remainder of the historic Dodger infield, which started on a regular basis from 1973 to 1981. The 1981 Major League Baseball season saw a unique split-season setup in which the leaders of each division at the time of the strike (which lasted from June to July) guaranteed them a playoff spot. The Dodgers, as champions of the first half (by less than a game over Cincinnati), would be matched up against whoever led the NL West after the season re-started. The Dodgers were matched against the Houston Astros, who narrowly beat out the Reds to win the West and play in a National League Division Series. The Astros took the first two games on walk off plays where the Dodgers scored one total run combined. But with three games remaining all in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles would turn the tables and dominate in pitch

Did You Know?

• Lasorda struck out 25 Amsterdam Rugmakers in a 15-inning game on May 31, 1948, setting a professional record.
• He was traded from the Kansas City Athletics to the New York Yankees for Wally Burnette in July 1956.
• Lasorda was profoundly influenced by Denver manager Ralph Houk, who became his role model for a major league manager.
• He managed nine players who won the NL Rookie of the Year Award, including Fernando Valenzuela and Mike Piazza.