Tommy pitched one season with Kansas City, 1956, and walked 45 batters in 45 innings. He was a 5-foot-10 lefty from Norristown, PA. Feisty. He told a story about not being afraid of the Yankees and how he wanted to dust off every one of them. Yankees crushed him twice in early June. Lasorda was so awful, he got cut by the worst team in baseball.
Tommy is in the HOF as much for his personality and love of the game as for his managing. Maybe the best thing he did was listen to his hometown friend, Vince Piazza, who had a son named Mike. Dodgers drafted him very late, maybe 37th round, and Mike got to the HOF, too.
edit: 62nd round for Piazza.