Tommy Lasorda spent 21 years as the Hall of Fame manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, then continued for the next 24 years as an ambassador for the Dodger Blue. Lasorda, 93, died Thursday.
Journalists who covered the Dodgers had no shortage of tales thanks to Lasorda, who was often described as “larger than life.” Here, some of our writers remember legendary stories and moments.
Andy McCullough, The Athletic MLB
The story resounds through Dodgers lore, the storied franchise’s most cherished moment across the past four decades. You can recognize the images: A slider from Dennis Eckersley lingering over the plate. A baseball disappearing into a frantic throng in the right-field seats at Dodger Stadium. A fist pump from a hobbled Kirk Gibson as he rounds first base.
The television camera cut from Gibson, on that night in 1988, to Tom Lasorda. He raised his fists to the sky. He clapped his hands. He emptied his lungs. He stood amidst the…
