Davey Lopes, one of the greatest basestealers in a go-go era of Major League Baseball and a member of the Los Angeles' Dodgers' iconic infield of the 1970s, died Wednesday, April 8, the Dodgers announced. He was 80.
Lopes, a native of Rhode Island who debuted in 1972, stole 558 bases in his career, ranking 26th all-time, and won National League stolen-base titles in 1975 (77) and 1976 (63). He was the second baseman on a Dodgers infield featuring first baseman Steve Garvey, shortstop Bill Russell and third baseman Ron Cey, a quartet that first played together June 23, 1973, when Garvey supplanted Bill Buckner at first.
Two weeks later, the alignment became permanent, and the quartet became a huge part of Dodgers NL pennants in 1977 and '78, before losing to the New York Yankees in both World Series.
Yet in 1981, the Dodgers finally broke through to vanquish the Yankees, and the quartet broke up shortly thereafter, with the Dodgers opting for rookie Steve Sax at second, leaving Lopes seeking a team.
He was far from done, stealing 50 bases over two seasons alongside Rickey Henderson in Oakland and then, as a 40-year-old, swiping 47 bags for the 1985 Chicago Cubs.
