On February 17th, 1980 two separate interviews at a local television station turned into an impromptu Los Angeles Dodgers fight night.
Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda, was at KNBC recording an interview when he bumped into Jim Lefebvre.
Bad blood existed between the two after Lasorda had fired Lefebvre as hitting and first base coach after the 1979 season. Lefebvre won Rookie of the Year for the Dodgers in 1965 and parlayed his time in L.A. into some acting gigs, including playing one of The Riddler’s henchmen on the Batman TV series.
The henchman experience proved handy when the two squared off in Burbank. Both men claimed the other started the fight but there was little doubt who finished it. L.A. sportscaster Steve Sommers reported, “Lasorda left with blood on his face and Lefebvre left with a smile on his.”
I think anyone who wasn’t a Dodgers fan in the 1980s dreamed of punching Tommy Lasorda in face.