The 20 greatest Dodgers of all time, No. 8: Tommy Lasorda
We recently asked you to list your choices for the 10 greatest Dodgers of all time, and vote you did, as we received an amazing 12,231 ballots. So many people voted that we have decided to expand the list from the top 10 to the top 20. Each weekday at 11 a.m. PDT, a new person will be listed as we count down all 20.
Remember, any Dodger, Brooklyn or L.A., was eligible, including managers, owners, announcers, etc. Points were assigned based on where you listed the person on the ballot. Your first choice received 12 points, second choice 10, third place eight, all the way down to one point for 10th place.
So without further ado, here is No. 8:
No. 8: Tommy Lasorda (14 first-place votes, 24,100 points)
After spending years with the team as a player, scout and coach, Lasorda became the Dodgers manager with four games remaining in the 1976 season after Walter Alston announced his retirement.
PHOTOS: 20 greatest Dodgers of all time
Lasorda, all the while talking about “bleeding Dodger blue†and “the big Dodger in the sky,†compiled a 1,599-1,439 record as Dodgers manager, won two World Series titles (1981, 1988), four National League pennants (1977, 1978, 1981, 1988) and eight division titles (1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1994 and 1995).
Lasorda had a heart attack on June 24, 1996, took a leave of absence from managing the team while recovering, and announced his retirement on July 29, 1996. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 in his first year of eligibility. The Dodgers retired his uniform number (2) on Aug. 15, 1997.
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ALSO:
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 20: Don Sutton
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 19: Don Newcombe
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 18: Zack Wheat
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 17: Branch Rickey
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 16: Walter Alston
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 15: Mike Piazza
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 14: Steve Garvey
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 13: Walter O’Malley
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 12: Orel Hershiser
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 11: Gil Hodges
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 10: Fernando Valenzuela
The 20 greatest Dodgers, No. 9: Maury Wills
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