Davey Lopez, one of the greatest base stealers of Major League Baseball’s go-go era and an iconic infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1970s, passed away on Wednesday, April 8, the Dodgers announced. He was 80 years old.
Lopez, a Rhode Island native who debuted in 1972, ranked 26th all-time with 558 stolen bases and won the National League’s stolen bases title in 1975 (77) and 1976 (63). He was the second baseman in the Dodgers’ infield that included first baseman Steve Garvey, shortstop Bill Russell, and third baseman Ron Cea, the quartet first playing together on June 23, 1973, with Garvey initially replacing Bill Buckner.
Two weeks later, the partnership became permanent, and the quartet became the longest-running group in baseball, accounting for most of the Dodgers’ National League pennants in 1974, 1977, and 1978, and twice losing to the New York Yankees in the World Series in the second half.
But in 1981, the Dodgers finally broke through to beat the Yankees, and soon after, the quartet disbanded, with the Dodgers selecting rookie Steve Sachs as the No. 2 pick and Lopez asking for a team.
He tied Rickey Henderson for 50 stolen bases in two seasons with Oakland, then stole 47 bases in 1985 with the Chicago Cubs at age 40.
Lopez’s chops and long hair kept the ’70s spirit in the game into the next decade, and the tough, well-respected player managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2000 to 2002 and coached the Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Dodgers. His last assignment was as the first base coach for the Nationals, who won back-to-back district championships in 2016-17, alongside fellow Dodger standout Dusty Baker.
“He’ll look at me and say, ‘Why are you still standing here? Run,'” former Nationals and current Phillies shortstop Trea Turner told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “He wanted me to run, just go, go, go.
“He was an old-school guy. He didn’t have a lot of numbers. Just pure confidence.”
A four-time All-Star and Gold Glover Award winner, Lopez is survived by brothers Patrick and John, and sisters Jean, Judith, Mary and Nina.
