A Dodger for Life: Tommy Lasorda

(Hey Dodgers fans!!! It’s the offseason and you may be thinking there aren’t going to be many articles posted on Lasorda’s Lair. Well think again, because there will be a story on the Dodgers every day. In the upcoming weeks there will be a historical article posted on your all time favorite Dodgers. Articles will also be posted on famous moments in Dodgers history. To kick off the offseason, the first historical article will be about Tommy Lasorda, for whom the website is named after.)

Tommy Lasorda was born on September 22nd 1927 in Norristown Pennsylvania. A pitcher by trade, Lasorda was recruited and eventually signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a pitcher. He made his major league debut in 1954 as a 26 year old rookie with the Dodgers and appeared for 9 innings. Due to some arm and control problems in the big leagues, he only lasted 3 years. He was 0-4 with a 6.48 ERA. Despite not making it as an effective major league pitcher, Lasorda still felt he could contribute to the game. That was when he discovered his true calling to the game of baseball and that calling was coaching.

Just like any great coach, Lasorda had to start from the beginning. He started out as a scout with the Dodgers and would eventually move on to manage the Minor League Teams for LA. The Dodgers knew they had something in Lasorda and promoted him to the Major Leagues as a third base coach in 1973. Lasorda was on the staff under Hall of Fame coach Walter Alston. There was no one better to learn about managing baseball, especially National League baseball. After Alston left the team in late 1976, the Dodgers were in need of a manager and Tommy Lasorda was just the man that they needed.