FULLERTON, Calif. – A stretch of Interstate 5 in Fullerton will be dedicated as the Tommy Lasorda Memorial Highway Saturday, honoring the late Los Angeles Dodgers manager in the city where he lived from 1958 until his death in 2021.
Lasorda’s daughter, Laura Lasorda, and retired Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros, the fifth of nine National League Rookie of Year Award recipients managed by Lasorda, are set to speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony at James Carter Field that will serve as the kickoff to the West Fullerton Little League opening ceremonies.
The stretch of Interstate 5 from Ball Road to the Riverside (91) Freeway was named in Lasorda’s memory under Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 67, approved by the Legislature in 2021.
Signs with the highway’s name have been placed on southbound Interstate 5 north of Lincoln Avenue and northbound Interstate 5 south of Ball Road. The Dodgers paid a portion of the cost of the signs, a team spokesman told City News Service.
Lasorda managed the Dodgers from late in the 1976 season to midway through the 1996 season, when he retired at age 68 after suffering a heart attack. He guided the Dodgers to World Series championships in 1981 and 1988, four National League pennants, eight National League West titles and a 1,599- 1,439 record. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
“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 Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, the resolution’s author.
“It was Lasorda’s humanitarianism and spirit of goodwill towards kids everywhere that made him a legend.”
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