PHILADELPHIA – For more than a half-century, the Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda has used a rich mixture of humor and superior salesmanship to spread the gospel of baseball around the world.

These days, though, Norristown’s gift to Major League Baseball is waging a campaign with an intent and passion as serious as its subject.

Splitting duties with the legendary football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, Lasorda is touring the country to raise awareness of the dangers of high blood pressure, a condition that afflicts about 65 million Americans 20 and older.

“You’re going to get involved in what you do when you think might be saving people’s lives. That’s big-time,” Lasorda said Thursday as his signature smile gave way to quiet determination. “When you can do that, that’s very gratifying.”

Lasorda spoke during a visit to The Inquirer, one of his stops at major media institutions on behalf of BP Coach (Creating Overall Awareness and Controlling Hypertension) Approach, a program created by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. Among the company’s products is the blood-pressure medication Mitardis.

Tanned and nattily attired in a summery white shirt, Lasorda, 78, was a picture of health, very much the ball of energy who led the Los Angeles Dodgers to eight division titles and two World Series championships in his 21 years as manager. He is still a presence in baseball, ranking second all-time in number of postseason games managed with 61.

Lasorda, who has survived a heart attack, pointed out that persistent hypertension – a blood pressure reading of 140/90 or higher – is one of the risk factors for heart ailments and strokes.

He said he religiously monitors his own pressure, reporting his last reading to be an enviable 100/60.

The former manager said, though, that not enough adults know that they need to do as he does.

He said one-third of the Americans who have the condition are not aware of it because the symptoms are all but invisible. That, Lasorda said, is why hypertension is called “the silent killer.”

“It doesn’t show. You can’t see it. So if you’ve got high blood pressure, you’re walking around like a time bomb. I’ll tell you that,” he said.

Lasorda, like many people who are aware of their hypertension, takes medication and does his due diligence. He said he hoped to reach those unaware that they should be rushing to join him in combatting the condition.

“You’ve got to be able to go see a doctor and find out what your health factor is,” said Lasorda.

Lasorda, who still works as a consultant for the Dodgers – his employer for the last 57 years – has previously represented the American Heart Association, and teamed with the financier Michael Milken to spread awareness of prostate cancer. He said he joined the blood-pressure campaign after being approached by the pharmaceutical company, which is paying him for his services.

He knows his recruitment for such causes is about celebrity. That’s fine, Lasorda said, because he can cite instances in which his recounting of his heart attack caused fans and listeners to be more aware of heart disease’s symptoms and, in one case, led one woman to call for help when her husband’s symptoms mirrored Lasorda’s. The man, who was having a heart attack, survived.

“We’re no doctors,” he said of himself and Shula. “We’re just messengers. . . . We’re trying to change lives. That’s what it’s all about.

“If Don Shula and I can bring this to the attention of a lot of people, then you’re doing something beneficial.”