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A portion of Southern California freeway will be dedicated to late Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, NBCLA Managing Editor Jonathan Lloyd wrote in a Friday article.
“Fullerton held a very special place in Tommy's heart, and we know how proud he would be to be standing here today,” said Stan Kasten, president & CEO of Los Angeles Dodgers, in a statement.
Part of the I-5 Freeway in Fullerton, California, will be named in his honor in a Saturday ceremony, continued Lloyd.
Tommy Lasorda passed away at 93, the team announced in 2021. He was hospitalized in November 2020 due to heart complications and had only been released days before.
“Regarded by many as baseball's most popular ambassador, Lasorda spent 71 seasons in the Dodger organization with Dodger Blue running through his veins,” the Dodgers wrote in a 2021 release. “He spent the last 14 seasons as a special advisor to the chairman.
“Lasorda's wish to see another Dodgers World Championship was fulfilled last October, when he travelled to Arlington, Texas to witness the Dodgers 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the World Series.”
He spent 21 years as a manager for the Dodgers from 1976 to 1996, winning four Pennants and two World Series titles in the process, according to Baseball Reference. In just under 3,000 games, he helped guide the Dodgers to a 1,599-1,439 record while never finishing with a record below 63-99. He earned as many as 98 wins in the 1977 season, when the Dodgers won the NL Pennant with a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
“Tommy Lasorda embodied the spirit and love of the game of baseball, dedicating his life to the game by managing one of the most successful baseball franchises and encouraging the success of his players,” said Los Angeles and Orange County representative Sharon Quirk-Silva, via K-Cal News. “It was Lasorda's humanitarianism and spirit of goodwill towards kids everywhere that made him a legend.”
