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Dodgers Pay Tribute To Tommy Lasorda Before Saturday's Game

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - The Los Angeles Dodgers paid tribute to their late Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda before Saturday's game at Dodger Stadium against the Washington Nationals.

Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Washington Nationals 1-0  on Opening Day.
Los Angeles, CA - April 09: Los Angeles Dodgers honor former manager and Hall of Fame Tommy Lasorda who passed away during the World series ring ceremony prior to a baseball game during Opening Day between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals in Los Angeles on Friday, April 9, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

In a video shown on the stadium's 'DodgerVision', fans were treated to around 5 minutes of clips of Lasorda interspersed with recollections from players and Dodger manager Dave Roberts.

The tribute concluded with a video of Lasorda singing "My Way," by his friend Frank Sinatra.

In the video, Clayton Kershaw recalled meeting Lasorda for the first time in 2006 when he and his mother had come to Dodger Stadium to sign his first contract with the Dodgers.

"From that day on, I don't think Tommy ever saw my mom again but he always asked about her by her first name," Kershaw said. "I thought it was really cool that he met her one time and remembered my mom's name. I thought that was pretty special."

Corey Seager talked about how "incredible" Lasorda was.

"He was one of those baseball figures and human beings you can't replicate," Seager said. "What he did for this organization, what he did for baseball and what's he's done for so many players is far beyond anything that I've experienced."

Throughout the season, players will wear a memorial patch on the right sleeve of their jerseys with Lasorda's name and number.

Various items from Lasorda's office will be available for public viewing in displays located in the Right Field Pavilion.

Lasorda managed the Dodgers from the tail end of the 1976 season to midway through the 1996 season, guiding them to seven National League West Division championships, four National League pennants and World Series titles in 1981 and 1988. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

Lasorda died on January 7th of this year. He was 93.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)

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