The Loop
Where has this video of Tommy Lasorda telling his pitcher "I'll make the f---ing decisions" been all our lives?
On Friday morning, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced the passing of legendary former manager Tommy Lasorda. After reportedly just being released from the hospital earlier this week, Lasorda suffered a sudden cardiopulmonary arrest in his home on Thursday evening. He was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead less than an hour later. He was 93.
The tributes on social media have begun pouring in for the two-time World Series winning mananger, perhaps none better than a video shared by the Twitter account @BaseballQuotes1. The clip comes from Game 4 of the 1977 World Series, which Lasorda's Dodgers lost to the New York Yankees, four games to two. In Game 4, with the Dodgers trailing 1-0, Lasorda ran out to the mound to relieve left-handed pitcher Doug Rau. After a clean first inning, Rau had quickly given up a Reggie Jackson double and then a Lou Piniella RBI single.
In the next at-bat, Yankees first baseman Chris Chambliss hit a double, advancing Piniella to third. Rau, who Lasorda called upon to to combat New York's lefty-dominant lineup, had now given up three hits to lefties. Lasorda had seen enough, but Rau fought back, leading to an exchange that rivals the famous Terry Collins "ass in the jackpot" mic'd up video. Enjoy:
First things first - this is absolutely incredible. Second, where the hell has it been all our lives? Unfortunately, it took Lasorda's passing for it to hit Twitter, though we're sure it could have been found somewhere on the internet before today. Either way, we thank Baseball Quotes for sharing, and to honor Lasorda's memory we'll be watching this on repeat the rest of the day. "I may be wrong, but that's my g--damn job. I'll make the f---ing decisions here." What. A. Legend.