"He went a little too far" - When ex-Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda expressed his annoyance with Phillie Phanatic following on-field brawl
Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda had built the reputation of being an excellent motivator for his players with a fiery, no-nonsense character during his 20 years with the team. Lasorda also produced one of the most singular moments in MLB history when he got involved in a brawl with the Philadelphia Phillies mascot in the middle of a game between the two teams.
Wednesday marked the 36th anniversary of the memorable incident which occurred on August 28, 1988.
It was the final meeting of a three-game series between the two teams at Veterans Stadium. The Phillies were out of contention in the playoff race and were on a 12-1 run heading into the game. On the other hand, the Dodgers were leading the National League and went on to claim the World Series that year.
In between innings, the Phillie Phanatic arrived near the Dodgers dugout on an all-terrain vehicle. He had brought with him a life-size rubber dummy who was wearing a Tommy Lasorda uniform. The Phillies mascot got down from his vehicle and started wagging the doll at the visiting team's manager.
Lasorda charged out from the dugout, and managed to grab hold of the Phillie Phanatic at the third base line. The Dodgers manager offered a low kick before dragging his target down to the ground and attempting to tear off the shirt on the mascot. As a parting shot, Lasorda picked up the rubber doll lying beside him and smacked the Phantic right in the face with it.
“I just grabbed him and I about kicked him on his butt. That wasn’t funny," Lasorda said after the game "The Phillie Phanatic is a good friend of mine. He’s a fine young man. But he went a little too far.”
Meanwhile, Dave Raymond, the man who played the Phillie Phanatic from 1978 to 1993, shared his perpective during an interview with NBC Philadelphia on Wednesday.
“He thought it was all in good fun. Apparently it wasn’t. I was trying to make sense of it.”
“He would always do it up the level where I thought he was really angry and then he would come back and laugh,” Raymond said. “I realized this is what I liked doing.”
Incidentally, it was not the only altercation that Tommy Lasorda had with a mascot during his managerial career. In 1989, he was incensed by the antics of the Montreal Expos mascot, which resulted in Youppi! becoming the mascot to get ejected from a game.
Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda among the greatest managers of all time
Tommy Lasorda was the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976 to 1996 and posted a 1,599–1,439 record during his two decades in charge of the team. He led the franchise to eight division titles, four pennants, and two World Series titles. Lasorda was also voted Manager of the Year in the National League twice, and he managed in the All-Star game on four occasions.
In 1997, Tommy Lasorda was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a manager right after his retirement. He died on September 21, 2021, at the ripe age of 91.