LOS ANGELES — Friends and family of former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda gathered at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday to pay their respects to the Hall of Fame manager at a celebration of life ceremony.
Participants of the ceremony included Keith Williams Jr. singing the national anthem, and prayers by Sister Johnellen Turner, Sister JoAnn Ashburn and Pastor John Werhas, a former Dodgers player. Michael Greenberg, Chris Leggio, Eric Karros, Mickey Hatcher and Steve Brener spoke and served as pallbearers along with Warren Lichtenstein, Bobby Valentine, Charlie Hough, Mike Scioscia and Mike Fratello.
Karros and Hatcher, who played for Lasorda, also spoke. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Justin Turner, Ron Cey, and Steve Garvey also were in attendance and wore white Lasorda jerseys.
"The impact, the loyalty, the love, the passion with which he did everything, it's second to none," Karros said to a socially distanced crowd in the infield. "And I'm gonna miss him, we're all going to miss him. But I will say this: He had a heck of a run."
The ceremony preceded a grave-side memorial service.
Lasorda spent 71 seasons with the Dodgers. He began as a pitcher in Brooklyn and managed the team in Los Angeles for 20 years, leading the franchise to two World Series championships, four National League pennants and eight division titles.
He was in attendance at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, for Game 6 of the World Series on Oct. 27 when the Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first championship since Lasorda managed the team to the title in 1988. He was admitted to a hospital in early November for undisclosed reasons and held for seven weeks before he was released. He died two days later of a heart attack at age 93.
