Tommy Lasorda
Throughout his long tenure with the franchise, Tommy Lasorda insisted that he "bled Dodger blue," and he proved his allegiance with 45 years of service to the team as a player, scout, coach and manager. He managed the Dodgers for 19 full seasons, leading them to two World Series titles, four pennants, and seven NL West division titles. He built his teams around pitching and defense with a preference for regular lineups that included nine Rookie of the Year winners. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 27 |
14 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.071 |
.071 |
.071 |
.143 |
19.4 |
|
Quotes From Tommy Lasorda
"Baseball is a most orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off."
"Some guys have nothing in common. You can't expect them all to love each other, not in baseball or any other industry." — on why there are often disagreements in his clubhouse
"When you can't go to your bullpen for outs, you're strapped."
Teams Tommy Lasorda Managed
Los Angeles Dodgers (1976-1996)
Best Season: 1978
Dodger Stadium is great for pitching, but in 1978 it didn't matter where they played, the Big Blue Wrecking Crew was a handful. Their ERA at home was 2.92 and their road ERA was 3.35 (the best in the league). The Dodger rotation featured right-handers Don Sutton (15-11, 3.55) and Burt Hooton (19-10, 2.71), and left-handers Tommy John (17-10, 3.30) and Doug Rau (15-9, 3.26). Lefty Terry Forster (22 saves, 1.93) was in the bullpen, which wasn't called on that often. Offensively, the big four: Steve Garvey (.316, 21 HR, 113 RBI), Davey Lopes (.278, 17, 45 SB), Bill Russell (.286, 32 2B), and Ron Cey (.270, 23, 84) anchored the All-Star infield. In the outfield was Dusty Baker (.262 in an off-year), Reggie Smith (.295, 29, 93) and Rick Monday (19 homers). The bench was very good: Billy North had 27 steals and Lee Lacy hit 13 homers in pinch-action. Forty-somethings Manny Mota (.303) and Vic Davalillo (.312) added some punch. Pitching was the difference, as the Dodgers edged the Reds in the Al West by 2 1/2 games. They defeated the Phillies in the NLCS in four games, and then lost the World Series to the Yankees for the second straight year, after winning Games One and Two. Considering the offensive and defensive balance, this was Lasorda's best team, even though the failed to win the Fall Classic.
Factoids
As a pitching prospect in the Dodger organization, Tommy Lasorda once struck out 20 batters in a minor league game.
Born
Thomas Charles Lasorda was born on September 22, 1927, in Norristown, PA.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Major League Debut
8 5,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1954
Hank Aaron
Harmon Killebrew
Bill Skowron
Vic Power
Camilo Pascual
Ryne Duren
Wally Moon
Don Zimmer
Frank Lary
Similar Players
Bobby Valentine, as a manager.
Related Players
Walter Alston, Bill Russell, Dusty Baker, Bobby Valentine, Davey Lopes, Mike Scioscia, Jerry Royster
Best Strength as a Player
Willingness to put young players in key positions.
Largest Weakness as a Player
In-game strategy.
Learn More about Tommy Lasorda
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