EvKirito Posted January 9, 2021 Posted January 9, 2021 Having Dodger blue blood came naturally to Tommy Lasorda. For more than half a century, he never needed a transfusion. After 1957, when Lasorda divided his season between the Triple-A affiliates of the Yankees and the Dodgers, he continued to be employed by a single organization: the Los Angeles Dodgers. Strong teams surrounded Lasorda when he led them. The Dodgers surpassed 90 wins in seven of their 17 full seasons at the helm. The former manager suffered a heart attack in June 1996 and retired from the Dodgers leadership the following month. IT MAY INTEREST YOU Legendary Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda dies Tom Lasorda leaves the intensive care area La Russa, A-Rod and members of the Hall of Fame mourn the death of Lasorda “I made them believe in themselves. That's what I normally do ”; what was expressed by Lasorda, after beating Cuba in the 2000 Olympic Games Here's a look at the 10 most memorable moments or events from his long baseball career, reviewed by Chris Haft on the pages of MLB.com: 1. Exceeding Expectations, 1988 Subscribe to our newsletter, to stay updated with each event of the 2020-2021 winter baseball season. The Dodgers made the so-called experts look bad by winning the World Series, despite having a virtually starless team. The only one who fit that mold was right-hander Orel Hershiser, who had set a record by completing 59 straight scoreless innings. No player except Kirk Gibson and Mike Marshall hit 20 home runs or more and the lineup was short of .300 hitters. But Lasorda used the inspiration of the Dodgers to surprise the Mets in the National League Championship Series before doing the same for the Oakland Athletics in five games in the World Series, which featured Gibson's epic golden home run. in Game 1. 2. Betting to Win, October 23, 1981 Lasorda's confidence in his starting pitcher, Mexican Fernando Valenzuela, rewarded him with a 5-4 win in Game 3 of the World Series, dramatically changing the momentum of that competition. If the Yankees had won that game to lead 3-0 in the series, the comeback attempt would probably have been too difficult a challenge for the Dodgers. Down by one run, the Yankees appeared to be meshing an attack when Mexico's Aurelio Rodriguez and Larry Milbourne started the fourth inning by singling. Lasorda stayed with Valenzuela, a decision that would have been difficult for him to justify had he lost the game. But Valenzuela caused a double kill that killed the rally and I ask to get the zero. It was the first of three straight wins for the Dodgers at home, before their decisive 9-2 victory in Game 6 in New York to clinch the championship. In this March 31, 2011 photo, Tommy Lasorda (right), former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, poses with former Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela before a game (Keith Birmingham / The Orange County Register via AP) In this March 31, 2011 photo, Tommy Lasorda (right), former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, poses with former Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela before a game (Keith Birmingham / The Orange County Register via AP) 3. Instant success, 1977-1978 Lasorda became the first National League manager to win pennants in the first two seasons under him. The Dodgers stopped the Great Red Machine in 1977, finishing 98-64 and taking a 10-game lead over Cincinnati, which finished second in the NL West. Lasorda led Los Angeles to beat Philadelphia in four SCLN games. The fight for the division in 1978 was more contested, with the Dodgers finishing above the Reds with a 2 ½ game lead. Los Angeles beat Philadelphia in another four-game series in the SCLN. 4. Olympic effort, 2000 Olympics Leading a team made up mainly of ligaminoristas, Lasorda came out of retirement to lead the United States team to win the gold medal at the Olympics. His team defeated a widely favorite Cuban team 4-0, with Ben Sheets pitching a complete game of three hits. “I made them believe in themselves. That's what I normally do, ”Lasorda told MLB.com. “I try to get everyone to row in the same direction, all for the United States. And we did it, didn't we? 5. The Fall in the All-Star Game, July 10, 2001 Like he did at the Olympics, Lasorda came out of his retirement momentarily to be the third base coach for the NL team in the 2001 All-Star Game in Seattle. Montreal's Vladimir Guerrero made a swing that broke his bat. The log flew in the direction of Lasorda, who fell back in an effort to evade the projectile. Not only did Lasorda escape unscathed, but he gave the audience a big smile. Giants gunner Barry Bonds teased Lasorda by offering catcher gear to use for protection while he coached. Tom Lasorda's passing shocked the baseball world. He was 93 years old at the time of his death. (External source) Tom Lasorda's passing shocked the baseball world. He was 93 years old at the time of his death. (External source) 6. Cooperstown Quick Call, 1997 A year after leading his last game with the Dodgers, Lasorda was inducted into the Hall of Fame by vote of the Veterans Committee in 1997, his first year of eligibility. The Dodgers retired his No. 2 jersey on August 15 of that year. His teams went 1,599-1,439 in the regular season, with a .526 win-loss percentage. 7. Great disciples, 1979-1995 Lasorda had the gift of fostering talent. He managed nine winners of the National League Rookie of the Year award between two separate terms. There were first four between 1979 and 1982: right-hander Rick Sutcliffe, left-handers Steve Howe and Valenzuela, plus second baseman Steve Sax. Then there were five consecutive winners between 1992 and 1996, starting with first baseman Eric Karros, catcher Mike Piazza, Dominican outfielder Raúl Mondesí and right-hander Hideo Nomo. Lasorda retired in the middle of 1996, when Dodgers patrolman Todd Hollandsworth was named the best rookie in the league. 8. Waiting for the southpaw, 1955 Lasorda was a promising left-handed starter on the Dodgers' estates. He was 66-30 at Triple-A Montreal between 1950 and 1954. He had four appearances in the majors with Brooklyn in 1955. But he returned to Montreal after the Dodgers signed a young man who, under the terms of his contract, was to remain on the Major League Baseball roster. His name was Sandy Koufax. Lasorda returned to the majors with the Kansas City Athletics in 1956 and was 0-4 with a 6.15 ERA in 18 appearances (five starts). Baseball is getting ready to give the last goodbye to Tom Lasorda, who in life was characterized by his successes as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the Dominican Republic he commanded the Tigres del Licey. (External source) Baseball is getting ready to give the last goodbye to Tom Lasorda, who in life was characterized by his successes as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the Dominican Republic he commanded the Tigres del Licey. (External source) 9. An old and famous friendship, 1976 Lasorda's famous friendship with the incomparable singer Frank Sinatra began in 1976, when they were introduced by a mutual friend, comedian Pat Henry. Sinatra sang the anthem before Lasorda's first Opening Day as manager of the Dodgers, a 5-1 victory over San Francisco on April 7, 1977. 10. Adults Only, 1977-1996 Lasorda occasionally brought out his strong temper to the press. Yes, he could be very vulgar. But many followers saw such episodes as funny, thanks to the excess of bad words. Because the reporters recorded everything the manager said, many of Lasorda's insults are easily accessible. One example occurred after the Cubs' Dave Kingman hit three home runs in Los Angeles on May 14, 1978. On another occasion, a war of words ensued between Lasorda and San Diego's Kurt Bevacqua, after reliever Tom Niedenfuer allowed a home run by Bevacqua and then hit the next hitter, Joe Lefebvre, on June 30, 1982.
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