Tommy Lasorda passed away late Thursday night at the age of 93, and numerous people in the MLB world paid tribute on social media to the longtime Los Angeles Dodgers manager, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
After it was reported recently that Lasodra was discharged from the hospital following a two-month stay due to health issues, Major League Baseball made an official announcement on Friday that Lasorda had passed on.
In a managerial tenure that spanned over 20 years with the Dodgers from 1976 to 1996, Lasorda led Los Angeles to World Series championships in 1981 and 1988. The team won another World Series this past year for the first time since.
For his career, Lasorda compiled a 1,599 wins, 1,439 losses and two ties in 3,040 games managed. He also posted a 31-30 postseason mark, won National League Manager of the Year twice and four NL pennants during his time at the helm of the Dodgers. His No. 2 jersey is retired by the franchise.
On his official Hall of Fame page, one of Lasorda’s quotes is very telling as to who he was: “Guys ask me, don’t I get burned out? How can you get burned out doing something you love?”
Even after Lasorda’s time with the Dodgers, he managed the U.S. national team to a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, as well.
Known for his extroverted personality and speaking his mind, Lasorda was among the most entertaining managers of all-time in addition to being a huge success.
In addition to managing, Lasorda was briefly a player in Major League Baseball — despite the beginning of his career being put on hold due to a two-year run of military service in the United States Army.
The Dodgers released an official statement about what led to Lasorda’s death, which featured comments from key people in the organization in team owner Mark Walter, president Stan Kasten and broadcaster Vin Scully.
Here are some other reactions to the news of Lasorda’s passing, which featured heartfelt words and celebrated the skipper’s singular legacy:
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