When it comes to the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, one of the more memorable names that comes to mind is Tommy Lasorda. He pitched sparingly for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 and ’55, with his opportunity cut short due to one Sandy Koufax.
Lasorda managed the Dodgers for 21 seasons, winning World Series titles in 1981 and 1988. He’s one of two rookie managers in franchise history to guide the club to a division title, the other being Dave Roberts.
The 89-year-old former manager now holds the title of special advisor to the chairman. Lasorda has been a fixture at Dodger Stadium since retiring, and makes appearances on behalf of the organization he holds close to his heart.
He unfortunately was not in attendance for Games 3 and 4 of the National League Division Series, because of health issues, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Legendary former Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda is hospitalized with back and shoulder issues and has been unable to attend the club’s postseason games against Washington at Dodger Stadium this week.
Lasorda is expected to be released from the hospital in the next couple of days, according to the club.
The hospital stay is Lasorda’s second within the past two months. In August, he fell while in Atlantic City and required 12 stitches. Lasorda made a full recovery and celebrated yet another birthday at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 22.
This season marked his 67th in the organization, just as it was for legendary broadcaster Vin Scully. The 1997 Hall of Fame inductee had his No. 2 jersey retired during the 1997 season.
Along with playing for and managing the Dodgers, Lasorda once held positions of vice president (1996), interim general manager (1998) and senior vice president (1998).
