Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, right, and Fred Claire, Dodger Vice President, hoist the World Series trophy following their team’s 5-2 win over the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., in this Oct. 20, 1988, file photo. Lasorda, the fiery Hall of Fame manager who guided the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series titles and later became an ambassador for the sport he loved during his 71 years with the franchise, has died. He was 93. The Dodgers said Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, that he had a heart attack at his home in Fullerton, California. (AP Photo/File)
Hall of Fame and former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda passed away at the age of 93. Former LosAngeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, left, with former General Manager Fred Claire during the Old Timers game prior to a Major League baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, June 10, 2017 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
The last Dodgers World Series title before this year came with Fred Claire, right, running the front office, Tommy Lasorda, center, as the manager and Peter O’Malley as the owner. (Photo by Craig Jones, ALLSPORT via Getty Images)
The Pomona Progress-Bulletin’s award-winning sports staff of editor Fred Claire, seated, and Bill Langley, Gordon Verrell and Jerry Miles, standing from left, in a 1960s image seen at Claire’s Pasadena office July 15. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Fred Claire, 84, a former Dodgers executive vice president, stands against a picture of his friend Jackie Robinson at his Pasadena office Wednesday, July 15, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Fred Claire, a former Dodgers executive vice president, flips through a book showcasing his 30-year career with the Dodger organization at his Pasadena office Wednesday, July 15, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager Fred Claire, left, during the unveiling a statue of Jackie Robinson by artist Brian Hanlon in the Rose Plaza as a gift from Alba and Thomas Tull’s Tull Family Foundation at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager Fred Claire waves to the crowd before throwing out the ceremonial pitch prior to a Major League baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, June 10, 2017 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager Fred Claire throws out the ceremonial pitch prior to a Major League baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, June 10, 2017 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Former Dodgers general manager Fred Claire died at age 91 on Monday.
Claire, who had battled cancer for years, died on his birthday in Pasadena, having entered hospice care recently. He worked for the Dodgers in various roles from 1969 through 1998, including as GM from 1987-98.
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“The Dodgers are grieving the passing of Fred Claire, a longtime key fixture of our organization,” Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement released by the team. “Fred brought many victories and Dodger legends to our franchise, as well as a 1988 World Series title, and we are forever grateful for his leadership during such a memorable era.”
Claire worked as a sports writer during the 1950s and 1960s. He got his start with the Whittier Daily News and worked for the Pomona Progress-Bulletin as sports editor before going to the Long Beach Press-Telegram. He was assigned to cover the Dodgers in 1969 and wound up moving into the team’s public relations department during the season.
Claire was the Dodgers’ vice president of public relations when GM Al Campanis was forced to resign following his offensive comments during an April 1987 appearance on ABC’s “Nightline”. Dodgers president Peter O’Malley moved Claire into the GM position despite his lack of experience in player evaluation or personnel decisions, though he had been involved in discussions regarding free agents, arbitration and team payroll since becoming a team vice president in 1975.
The Dodgers finished fourth in the NL West in 1987. But through a series of moves, including the free-agent signing of Kirk Gibson, Claire built the Dodgers into World Series champions in 1988. Claire was named baseball’s Executive of the Year, an award previously won by such Dodger greats as Larry MacPhail, Branch Rickey, Walter O’Malley and Buzzie Bavasi.
“Fred was a talented team player and everyone in the organization enjoyed working with him,” O’Malley said in a statement.
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Claire oversaw the signing of Hideo Nomo in 1995 that opened the door for Japanese stars like Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers had an unprecedented run of five consecutive National League Rookie of the Year Award winners from 1992-96 (Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Nomo and Todd Hollandsworth) under Claire’s leadership.
The Dodgers were sold to Rupert Murdoch’s FOX News Corporation in March 1998 and the new owners traded future Hall of Famer Piazza two months later without Claire’s involvement, signaling the end of his time as GM.
Claire was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. He wrote a book about his career in baseball, “Extra Innings”, and he donated the proceeds to City of Hope Medical Center.
Born Fredic Marston Claire on Oct. 5, 1935, in Jamestown, Ohio, he cultivated his love of baseball while attending Cincinnati Reds games with his family at Crosley Field. He moved to Torrance at age 15 and later graduated from Torrance High, where he played junior varsity baseball and basketball. He graduated from San Jose State with a journalism degree.
He is survived by wife Sheryl and children Jeff, Jennifer and Kim.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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