Sandy Koufax, Jim Landis, Tommy Lasorda Caguas-Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico Winter League 1956-1957.

Before the 1956 season, Tommy Lasorda was sold from Brooklyn to the Kansas City Athletics. Kansas City traded him to the New York Yankees in July 1956. He appeared in 22 games for the Yankees' affiliate Triple-A Denver Bears in 1956–1957, and then was sold back to the Dodgers in 1957.

Lasorda returned to Montreal for the 1958 through 1960 seasons but was released in July 1960. Prior to 1958 he had spent the 1950 through 1955 seasons with Montreal. He was the winningest pitcher in the history of the team (107–57) and is in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. He ended his major league career with a 0–4 record and a 6.52 ERA in 26 games.

In the spring of 1955, Lasorda, a career minor-leaguer, was hoping to go north with the Dodgers. Sandy Koufax was a nineteen-year-old bonus baby who threw the ball like a streak of lightning but didn’t know where to go after batting practice. Because of the bonus rule under which Koufax was signed, the Dodgers had to keep him on the major league roster. Because of Koufax, Lasorda had to go back to Montreal. Or take the job driving a beer truck that general manager Buzzie Bavasi thoughtfully arranged as an alternative.

Posted on

Saturday 19 March 2022

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791*600

Albums

• Sandy Koufax: The Left Arm of God

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