Tommy Lasorda’s body began to fail him in recent months, but his passion for the Dodgers never wavered. The man who always claimed he bled Dodger blue out of loyalty to the organization had one last mission to accomplish, one more triumphant moment to experience.
He was granted that moment in October, when the Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series — their first championship since he guided them to the title in 1988. “He willed himself to live this long and to watch that world championship,” former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser said. “He willed himself to stay active with baseball and to be impactful on a daily basis.