Lasorda passes away at 93

LOSANGELES » Tommy Lasorda, the fiery Hall of Fame manager who guided the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series titles and later became an ambassador for the sport he loved during his 71 years with the franchise, has died. He was 93.

The Dodgers said Jan. 8 that he had a heart attack at his home in Fullerton, California. Resuscitation attempts were made on the way to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday.

Lasorda had a history of heart problems, including a heart attack in 1996 that ended his managerial career and another in 2012 that required him to have a pacemaker.

He had just returned home Tuesday after being hospitalized since Nov. 8 with heart issues.

Lasorda attended the Dodgers’ Game 6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Oct. 27 in Texas that clinched the team’s first World Series title since 1988. He had served in the role of special adviser to team owner and chairman Mark Walter for the last 14 years, and maintained a fre

quent presence at games sitting in Walter’s box.

Lasorda worked as a player, scout, manager and front office executive with the Dodgers dating to their roots in Brooklyn.

He compiled a 1,5991,439 record, won World Series titles in 1981 and ‘88, four National League pennants and eight division titles while serving as Dodgers manager from 1977-96.

He was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1997

as a manager. He guided the U.S. to a baseball gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Lasorda was the franchise’s longest-tenured active employee since Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully retired in 2016 after 67 years.

He drew standing ovations when introduced at games in recent years.

He often proclaimed, “I bleed Dodger blue” and he kept a bronze plaque on

his desk reading: “Dodger Stadium was his address, but every ballpark was his home.

As a pitcher, Lasorda had a modest career at the major league level, going 0-4 with a 6.48 ERA and 13 strikeouts from 1954-56.

Born Thomas Charles Lasorda on Sept. 22, 1927, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, his pro career began when he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an undrafted free agent in 1945.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda celebrates after his team beat the Montreal Expos for the National League Pennant in 1981. Lasorda died Jan. 8 of a heart attack.