When you think of baseball it is hard not to think of Tommy Lasorda, Don Sutton, or Hank Aaron.  The baseball world lost all three in January 2021.  

HANK AARON

Henry “Hank” Aaron, one of the greatest to ever cross the white lines of a baseball field, passed away on Jan. 22 from natural causes.  He was 86 years old and would have turned 87 a few weeks later on Feb. 5.

Aaron grew up in Mobile, Alabama and started playing baseball on the sandlots.  From there, he would go on to play in the Negro Leagues and the minors.  

In 1954, he made his debut in the major leagues with the Milwaukee Braves who later became the Atlanta Braves.  He was Rookie of the Year.  He ended his career in 1976 at the age of 42 with the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Aaron played right field and was known for his consistency at the plate and on the field.  According to former longtime Varsity Baseball Coach at Saint Ignatius, Jim Dekker, “he could do everything: hit, hit with power, field and run.” 

For 14 years he had a batting average of at least .300. He was an All-Star 25 times. He also received three Gold Gloves.  His best year was 1957 when his batting average was .322, he hit 44 home runs and had 132 runs batted in.  That same year, he was voted National League Most Valuable Plays and led the Braves to their first World Series since 1914.  

Shawn Scott, Burlingame High School Varsity Baseball Coach, added that “he was not only a great player, but also a great teammate.”  Dekker added, “Mays played with more flair, but Hank was a quiet assassin, and I loved the fact that he never bragged or popped off.”

Aaron did not become a household name until 1973 when he was approaching Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs.  As he approached the record, he received death threats. On April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his 715th home run.  

Aaron ended his career with 755 home runs and he is still the all time leader in runs batted in. If you took away all of his home runs he would still have over 3,000 career hits.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982.  Dekker remembers him as “so good and a class act. His hero was Jackie Robinson. Mohammed Ali once called Hank Aaron “the only man I idolize more than myself.”  

Scott said, “Hank Aaron’s biggest contribution to the game was his willingness to play the game he loved during racially divided times, which gave everyone hope.”

TOMMY LASORDA 

Tommy Lasorda, the face of the Los Angeles Dodgers for so many, died at the age of 93 after being hospitalized in November for heart issues.  Although Lasorda is remembered for his 30 years managing the Dodgers, his career in professional baseball started when he was 18.  

According to Dekker, “Tommy Lasorda was one of the most colorful characters in baseball.  He didn’t have much of a career as a player, but every fan in the stadium knew how the manager of the Dodgers was.”

He signed with the Phillies but then joined the military and served for two years.  When he came back in 1949, the Brooklyn Dodgers drafted Lasorda from the Phillies.  He was a pitcher and played in the minor leagues until 1954.  He was brought up by the Dodgers and played two seasons before being traded to the Kansas City Athletics.  He played one season for them and retired. 

After his retirement, the Dodgers hired him as a scout and he stayed in that role until 1965.  From 1966 to 1972 he managed minor league teams.  He was called back up to the big leagues in 1973 as the 3rd base coach for the Dodgers under Walter Alston.  When Alston retired in 1976, Lasorda took over as manager. 

According to Shawn Scott, Burlingame High School Varsity Baseball Coach, Lasorda was “one of the few big league managers that also coached 3rd base.” 

Dekker said, “He was the guy everyone loved to hate.”  

He remained the manager until 1996.  

After retirement, he stayed involved in baseball.  One highlight was In 2000 when he was selected to coach the U.S. Olympic baseball team.  He led them to a gold medal.  

In his career, he won two World Series and was the first National League manager to win back to back pennants.  He had 1,599 career wins and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.  

Tim Reardon, principal of Archbishop Riordan, said, “Tommy Lasorda’s unbridled love of the game was inspiring, yet he never took the game too seriously. He always seemed to be aware that it was only a game.”  

Reardon added that when attending Giants games, “We loved to boo him, and he appreciated it. He knew baseball is supposed to be fun, and he did everything he could to allow people to enjoy the game, even if it meant Giants’ fans yelling at him. Italian-Americans from everywhere, including SF, loved him.” 

Dekker added, “Giants fans couldn’t stand him and he played off that by really acting up whenever they played.”  

Although Dekker is a lifelong Giants fan he admits that “Tommy was great for the game and he was always a showman. There will never be another manager like him.”

DON SUTTON  

Don Sutton lost his battle with kidney cancer on Jan. 18, 2021 at the age of 75.  He was one of the best pitchers in Dodger history. He pitched for the Dodgers from 1960 to 1980.  In his rookie season, he pitched alongside Hall of Famers like Sandy Kofax and Don Drysdale.  The Dodgers won the pennant that year. 

He left the Dodgers after the 1980 season and signed with the Houston Astros.  He then went to the Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s and Los Angeles Angels.  He returned to the Dodgers in 1988 to end his career.  

Scott remembers that Sutton “was a guy you could count on to make his starts on a regular basis” and he was a “really good fielding pitcher.”  

Dekker added that “he was a very durable pitcher and won a lot of games, but he lost plenty, too.”  Another thing Dekker remembers is “Sutton had the bad haircut. Looked like he just got a perm.” 

Sutton was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He had 325 wins in his career and 3,574 strikeouts.  In his Hall of Fame speech he said his mom used to worry about him because he would be playing baseball in the yard with imaginary friends named Mickey (Mantle) and Yogi (Berra).  

Although Sutton returned to the Dodgers in 1988, he never won a World Series because he retired before the season ended.

Sutton never missed a start in all the years he pitched.  He had 756 starts, which is third highest of all time.  He attributed his work ethic to his father and is quoted as saying, “Other kids my age were playing for fun, I was playing to get to the big leagues.”  

When asked about Sutton, Reardon stated, “Sutton’s longevity and effectiveness against the Giants, in particular, is praiseworthy.”