Tommy Lasorda

Thomas “Tommy” Lasorda, ember-at-large, was initiated into Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity on February 10, 1990. Lasorda made his major league baseball debut on August 5, 1954, for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He made three appearances with the Dodgers before being optioned back to Montreal, Canada. Before the 1956 season, he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics. In 1956, he was traded again to the New York Yankees, appearing in numerous games for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, the Denver Bears, before he was sold back to the Dodgers in 1957. His time with the Denver Bears introduced him to his mentor, Ralph Houk, who taught him, “…if you treat players like human beings, they will play like Superman.” In 1958, Lasorda returned to Montreal. From 1958-60, he became the winningest pitcher in the team’s history. In 1960, he was hired as a scout for the Dodgers, the first step into his long career as a manager. By 1973, after managing various minor league teams and teams across Latin America, Lasorda was hired as the third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After serving in that role for four seasons, he became the Dodgers manager in 1976.

Lasorda spent 20 years as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers before retiring in 1996. At the time of his retirement, his 16 National League Championship Series wins in 30 games were the most of any manager. His 1,599 career wins ranks 22nd all-time, and only two other managers have ever secured that many wins with one team.

Highlights

• National Baseball Hall of Fame (1997)
• Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (2006)
• Bob Feller Act of Valor Award (2014)
• Won 1,599 games as manager
• Won eight Division Titles as manager
• Won four National League Pennants as manager
• Won two World Series as manager (1981, 1988)
• Managed the U.S Olympic Baseball team to a Gold Medal (2000, Sydney Olympics)
• His number (2) was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1997
• A street in Dodgertown is named “Tommy Lasorda Lane”