Dodgers Legend Tommy Lasorda Dead at 93

Tommy Lasorda, who spent seven decades with the Dodgers organization, died Thursday night. He was 93.

The Dodgers confirmed his passing, stating, “Lasorda suffered a sudden cardiopulmonary arrest at his home at 10:09 p.m. He was transported to the hospital with resuscitation in progress. He was pronounced dead at 10:57 p.m.”

Lasorda was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Kansas City Athletics in the 1950s, and went on to serve as a Dodgers scout, third-base coach, and eventually their famed manager.

He managed the L.A. Dodgers from 1976 to 1996, helping the team win two World Series, in 1981 and 1988. Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. After his retirement, he stayed on with the Dodgers as vice president of the organization, and in more recent years as a special advisor to the chairman.

Lasorda saw his beloved team win big again in 2020, when the Dodgers beat Tampa Bay 3-1 in the World Series.

After news of his death, many paid tribute to the baseball legend.

Dodgers owner and chairman Mark Walter said in a statement, “My family, my partners and I were blessed to have spent a lot of time with Tommy. He was a great ambassador for the team and baseball, a mentor to players and coaches, he always had time for an autograph and a story for his many fans and he was a good friend. He will be dearly missed.”

Alex Rodriguez tweeted, “Nobody lived, breathed, and slept baseball more than Tommy Lasorda. He was more than just a World Series-winning manager for those great L.A. teams in the ‘80s. He BLED Dodger blue. He was a true gentleman, along with being a champion and Hall of Famer.”

Magic Johnson also remembered Lasorda, tweeting, “Hall of Fame Dodgers Manager, LA icon, and my great friend Tommy Lasorda passed away late last night. For the last 8 years I’ve sat next to Tommy at every Dodgers game and he taught me invaluable lessons on the strategy and history of baseball.”

Johnson added, “I will miss our conversations about the Dodgers & the Lakers. He meant the world to the Dodgers organization, MLB, and to the city of Los Angeles. He will always be known to Dodger Nation as ‘Mr. Dodger.’ Cookie and I are praying for the entire Lasorda family. May he RIP.”

Jimmy Kimmel shared a photo of himself with Lasorda at a game, and wrote, "watching this game with Tommy was one of the most fun and funniest nights of my life. We will miss you Tommy - may everyone love their job as much as you loved yours."

Dodgers player Kenley Jansen wrote, “Tommy Lasorda, this wonderful man, Hall of Famer in baseball and in life, this is him, so much joy. So much love he had for baseball, for the @Dodgers. To win, to love this game, to live and play with joy was his message to us. Rest in peace in Blue Heaven, sir and thank you.”