Thomas Charles Lasorda (Tommy)
Bats: L
Throws
: L
Position: Pitcher
Height: 5-10
Weight: 175 lb.
Born: September 22, 1927, Norristown, PA
Club(s): Spokane Indians / Albuquerque Dukes
Lasorda, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, says he is "absolutely thrilled” that the PCL has become the sixth Hall of Fame to honor him. Before he became a Baseball Hall of Famer with two World Series titles and Olympic gold on his resume, Lasorda toiled for more than two decades in the minor leagues, with 16 years as a left-handed pitcher and eight more as a manager in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system.
Although he spent most of his playing career in the International League, Lasorda pitched for the PCL’s Los Angeles Angels in 1956 and managed in the PCL from 1969-72.
"This induction means a great deal to me because of the fact that I not only managed in the league, but I played there," he says. "I have many great memories of my time there."
Lasorda spent his first three years as a PCL manager with the Spokane Indians and the final season with the Albuquerque Dukes.
His 1970 Spokane team finished 94-52 and won the PCL championship as Lasorda was named Minor League Manager of the Year by The Sporting News. That club, widely considered one of the finest minor league teams of all time, included Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, league MVP Bobby Valentine, pitchers Charlie Hough and Doyle Alexander, infielder Bill Buckner and outfielder Tom Paciorek, all of whom enjoyed lengthy big-league careers.
"We won the pennant by 26 games," Lasorda says. "I knew those guys were going to excel in the big leagues, absolutely. Bobby Valentine led the league in seven categories, and Jerry Stephenson won 19 games for us. What a team."
Lasorda’s ’72 Albuquerque club went 92-56 and also won the PCL crown.
"You think about it, it’s tough to say which team was better between ’70 and ’72," he says. "We had some great players in ’72 – guys like Garvey, Paciorek and Cey. And virtually all of the guys on that team went on to play in the major leagues."
Lasorda’s career record as a PCL manager was 326-257 (.559), and he went 7-1 in the postseason. During his minor-league managerial career, 75 of his players went on to play in the big leagues.
"When (Dodgers owner) Walter O’Malley and (general manager) Al Campanis asked me to join the Dodgers coaching staff in 1973, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go," he says. "I loved managing. But when I got to be the Dodgers manager (after the 1976 season), 17 of my 25 players had already played for me in the minors."
Lasorda says there is "no doubt" his PCL managerial experience laid the groundwork for his stellar Hall of Fame big-league career.
"Stop and think and go over the records," he says. "How many guys who played in the big leagues also played in the PCL? How many managers? For me to be put in is a real thrill and an honor."
| Eddie Basinski | Dominic "Dom” DiMaggio | Bert Ellison |
| Tommy Lasorda |
Dario Lodigiani | Bill Schuster | Bill Weiss |
