Davey Lopes
Lopes coaching for the Nationals in 2017
Second baseman / Manager
Born: (1945-05-03)May 3, 1945
East Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Died: April 8, 2026(2026-04-08) (aged 80)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 22, 1972, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 1987, for the Houston Astros
MLB statistics
Batting average .263
Home runs 155
Runs batted in 614
Stolen bases 557
Managerial record 144–195
Winning % .425
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Managerial record at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
As player
  • Los Angeles Dodgers (1972–1981)
  • Oakland Athletics (1982–1984)
  • Chicago Cubs (1984–1986)
  • Houston Astros (1986–1987)
As manager
  • Milwaukee Brewers (2000–2002)
As coach
  • Texas Rangers (1988–1991)
  • Baltimore Orioles (1992–1994)
  • San Diego Padres (1995–1999, 2003–2005)
  • Washington Nationals (2006)
  • Philadelphia Phillies (2007–2010)
  • Los Angeles Dodgers (2011–2015)
  • Washington Nationals (2016–2017)
Career highlights and awards
  • 4× All-Star (1978–1981)
  • 2× World Series champion (1981, 2008)
  • Gold Glove Award (1978)
  • 2× NL stolen base leader (1975, 1976)

David Earl Lopes (/ˈloʊps/; May 3, 1945 – April 8, 2026) was an American second baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball who played for four teams from 1972 to 1987, best known for his ten seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was part of the most durable infield in major league history. The team won four National League (NL) pennants during his tenure, culminating with the 1981 World Series title. A four-time All-Star, he led the NL in stolen bases in 1975 and 1976. In 1978 he played a major role in the Dodgers posting the league's best record, batting .324 over the season's last 5+1⁄2 weeks and earning his only Gold Glove Award. He then batted .389 with a pair of home runs in the NL Championship Series to help the team repeat as league champions, and hit .308 with three home runs in the World Series loss to the New York Yankees.

Playing almost exclusively as the team's leadoff hitter, Lopes led the Dodgers in stolen bases eight times between 1973 and 1981, and in triples and runs scored three times each. His 418 career steals with the team are the second most in franchise history, behind only Maury Wills's total of 490. Lopes became a coach for the Dodgers and five other teams between 1988 and 2017, including the 1998 pennant-winning San Diego Padres and the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, and he managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2000 to 2002.

Early years

Lopes was born in East Providence, Rhode Island, on May 3, 1945, and played baseball in high school at La Salle Academy in Providence.[1] He played college baseball for Iowa Wesleyan College and Washburn University in Kansas.[1] He also played college basketball for Washburn.[2]

Lopes was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the eighth round of the 1967 amateur draft but did not sign. He was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of the 1968 January draft.[1]

Career

Playing

When Lopes started his career in the Dodger organization, he was an introvert, reserved and quiet. Tommy Lasorda encouraged him to assert himself more. According to Tommy John, "And as his confidence grew, Dave did just that, becoming outspoken, a catalyst, a leader. He was a guy whose blazing speed made things happen on the field and whose personality made things happen in the clubhouse. When something needed to be said to a teammate, even if it was critical, Lopes would be the guy to say it."[3] Lasorda was also responsible for converting Lopes from an outfielder into a second baseman.[3]

At age 27, Lopes made his major league debut for the Dodgers on September 22, 1972, against the rival Giants and was hitless in five at bats.[4] Two days later, he recorded his first hit on a single to right field off of the Giants' Jim Barr.[5] His first home run was hit on May 13, 1973, also against Barr.[6]

Lopes with the Dodgers

Lopes spent nine seasons with the Dodgers as their regular second baseman. Along with the rest of the starting infield, Steve Garvey (1B), Bill Russell (SS), and Ron Cey (3B), which stayed together for eight and a half seasons.[7]

Used in the leadoff role most of his career, Lopes was one of the most effective base stealers in baseball's modern era.[8] His 557 career stolen bases rank 26th all-time, but his success rate of 83.01% (557 steals in only 671 attempts) ranks 3rd-best all time among players with 400 or more career stolen bases (behind Tim Raines and Willie Wilson). In 1975, Lopes stole 38 consecutive bases without getting caught, breaking a 53-year-old record set by Max Carey.[9] Lopes's record was later broken by Vince Coleman in 1989. Lopes led the National League with 77 steals in 1975, and again with 63 the following season. He won the Gold Glove Award for second basemen in 1978.[2]

A rare blend of speed and power, Lopes hit a career-high 28 home runs in 1979, which tied Cey and Garvey for the team high.[2] He also hit 17 home runs twice (1978 and 1983), appeared in four consecutive All-Star games from 1978 to 1981,[2] played in one Division Series, six NLCS and four World Series, including as a member of the 1981 World Champion Dodgers.[2] In the 1978 World Series, Lopes hit three home runs with seven runs batted in.[10] In the 1981 playoffs, he set a then-single-season MLB postseason record of 10 stolen bases (in 10 attempts),[2] broken by Rickey Henderson with 11 in 1989.[11][12]

Before the 1982 season, the Dodgers sent Lopes to the Oakland Athletics (for minor leaguer Lance Hudson) to make room for rookie second baseman Steve Sax.[2] With Oakland, Lopes teamed with Rickey Henderson to steal 158 bases, setting a new American League record for teammates. Henderson collected 130 and Lopes 28.[13]

The Athletics traded Lopes to the Chicago Cubs on August 31, 1984, to complete an earlier deal for Chuck Rainey.[14] He was then traded on July 21, 1986, to the Houston Astros for Frank DiPino.[15] He stole 47 bases at the age of 40 and 25 at age 41, before retiring at the end of the 1987 season.

In a 16-season career, Lopes posted a .263 batting average with 155 home runs and 614 runs batted in in 1,812 games played.[16]

Coaching

Following his retirement as a player, Lopes served as the bench coach for the Texas Rangers from 1989 to 1991. After leaving the Rangers, he coached first base for the Baltimore Orioles from 1992 to 1994 and the San Diego Padres from 1995 to 1999. Lopes was hired as the Milwaukee Brewers manager in 2000 following Bud Selig's recommendation to hire a manager with a minority background, becoming the manager for the team's last season at Milwaukee County Stadium, then their first season at Miller Park.[16]

In 2001 Lopes was the target of controversy following statements he made regarding stolen-base king Rickey Henderson after he stole second base with his San Diego Padres up by seven runs. Lopes said that this violated an unwritten rule against "showing up" the opposing team. Lopes was quoted, "He was going on his ass. We were going to drill him."[17] This was despite Henderson being removed for a pinch runner after the steal. Afterwards, Lopes said "Somebody might not be as lenient as I was, and drill the hitter that's next to him [in the lineup]." The day after, the Elias Sports Bureau produced a list of the seven times during Lopes's playing career that he had stolen a base while his team was leading by seven or more runs.[18]

Tired of the Brewers' continued poor performance and Lopes's media and field antics, club management fired him as manager fifteen games into the 2002 season.[19] He was 144–195 in 3 seasons with the Brewers.[20]

Lopes rejoined the Padres as first base coach from 2003 to 2005 and then held the same position with the Washington Nationals in 2006 and the Philadelphia Phillies from 2007 to 2010. In each of his Lopes's three seasons with the Phillies, the team led the majors in stolen base percentage, including the best in major league history in 2007 – 87.9% (138-for-157). They finished second or third in total steals each of those seasons.[21]

On November 22, 2010, he was named the first base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a position he held through the 2015 season. On November 5, 2015, he was named the first base coach of the Washington Nationals. His contract expired after the 2017 season[22] and he retired from professional baseball.[23]

Statistics

Playing career

Career hitting[24]
G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS
1,812 6,354 1,671 232 50 155 1,023 614 557 833 852 .263 .349 .388 .737

Defensively, Lopes recorded an overall .977 fielding percentage. His primary position was second base, but also played all three outfield positions, third base, and shortstop. In 50 postseason games, he posted a .238 batting average (43-for-181) with 29 runs, 3 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs, 22 runs batted in, 19 stolen bases, and 25 walks.

Managerial record

Team From To Regular season record Post–season record
W L Win % W L Win %
Milwaukee Brewers 2000 2002 144 195 .425 —
Reference:[20]

Personal life and death

Lopes was of Cape Verdean and Irish descent.[2] He has a recreation center named after him in Providence, Rhode Island.[25]

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer following a routine physical in February 2008.[26]

Lopes died in Rhode Island on April 8, 2026, at the age of 80, due to complications from Parkinson's disease.[27][28]

Highlights

  • 4-time All-Star (1978–1981)[1]
  • First in the All-Star Game vote (1980)[2]
  • NL Gold Glove Award (1978)[1]
  • Twice led NL in stolen bases (1975–76)[1]
  • His career 557 stolen bases ranks him 26th in All-Time list as of 2026[1]
  • Ranks sixth in All-Time list as of with an 83% stolen base success rate[1]
  • Ranks second in Dodgers history with 413 steals behind Maury Wills (490)[29]
  • In the 1978 World Series against the Yankees, hit two home runs and drove in five runs in Game One, and added another home run in the sixth and final game.[1]
  • Tied an NL record with five stolen bases in a game (1974,[2] since broken[30])

See also

  • List of Major League Baseball stolen base records
  • List of Gold Glove Award winners at second base
  • List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
  • List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
  • List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Randhawa, Manny (April 8, 2026). "Davey Lopes, prolific basestealer and Dodger mainstay, dies at 80". MLB.com. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Davey Lopes – Society for American Baseball Research". Society for American Baseball Research. May 27, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  3. ^ a b John, Tommy; Valenti, Dan (1991). TJ: My Twenty-Six Years in Baseball. New York: Bantam. p. 133. ISBN 0-553-07184-X.
  4. ^ "September 22, 1972 Dodgers vs. Giants box score". Baseball-Reference.com. 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  5. ^ "September 24, 1972 Dodgers vs. Giants box score". Baseball-Reference.com. 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  6. ^ "May 13, 1973 Dodgers vs. Giants box score". Baseball-Reference.com. 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  7. ^ Bloom, Barry M. (February 7, 2006). "Dodgers infield recalls glory days". MLB.com. Retrieved September 22, 2014.[dead link]
  8. ^ Gleeman, Aaron (November 23, 2010). "Dodgers hoping new first base coach Davey Lopes can work his magic on Matt Kemp". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  9. ^ Brener, Steve (March 1976). "Dave Lopes, New Champion of Major League Base Stealers". Baseball Digest: 58. Retrieved November 23, 2010. [dead link]
  10. ^ "New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers (4–2)". Baseball-Reference.com. December 16, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  11. ^ Dilbeck, Steve (October 29, 1989). "Craig gives lineup one last shuffling". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. C10. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  12. ^ "Rickey Henderson Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  13. ^ Samra, Christine (April 8, 2026). "Dodgers legend Davey Lopes passes away at 80". KTLA. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  14. ^ Newman, Scott (July 26, 1985). "He's Become a Steal : Whatever Makes Davey Lopes Run, at 39, Has Escaped Dodgers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  15. ^ "Cubs Trade Lopes, 40, to the Astros for DiPino". Los Angeles Times. July 21, 1986. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  16. ^ a b "Report: Davey Lopes to be named Brewers manager". ESPN. November 4, 1999. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  17. ^ "Rickey's taking extra base draws Lopes' ire". ESPN. Associated Press. July 29, 2001. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  18. ^ Arizona Daily Star, August 26, 2001, pg. 47
  19. ^ "Lopes fired, Jerry Royster named interim manager". MLB.com. April 18, 2002. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013.
  20. ^ a b "Davey Lopes". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  21. ^ White, Paul (October 29, 2009). "First-base coach Lopes steals an edge for Phillies". USA Today. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  22. ^ Adams, Steve (October 20, 2017). "Dusty Baker Will Not Return As Nationals' Manager In 2018". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  23. ^ Ladson, Bill (January 30, 2018). "Lopes 'taking it easy' after calling it quits". mlb.com. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  24. ^ "Davey Lopes Player Page". Baseball-Reference.com. 2014.
  25. ^ "Davey Lopes – Providence Recreation". Providence Recreation. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  26. ^ "Phils say Lopes expected to make full recovery from prostate cancer". ESPN. Associated Press. March 3, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  27. ^ Mandella, Anthony (April 8, 2026). "Former Brewers manager Davey Lopes dead at 80: report". FOX6 News Milwaukee. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  28. ^ Harris, Beth (April 8, 2026). "Dodgers great Davey Lopes, an infield fixture and record-setting base stealer, dies at 80". Associated Press. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  29. ^ "Dodgers great Davey Lopes, four-time All-Star, dies at 80". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 8, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  30. ^ "Nixon Steals His Way Into Record Book". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 17, 1991. Retrieved April 11, 2026. Nixon set a National League record with six stolen bases, but it wasn't enough as the Expos defeated the Atlanta Braves, 7-6, at Montreal.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Curt Motton
Baltimore Orioles First Base coach
1992–1994		 Succeeded by
Al Bumbry
Preceded by
Dan Radison
San Diego Padres First Base coach
1995–1999		 Succeeded by
Alan Trammell
Preceded by
Alan Trammell
San Diego Padres First Base coach
2003–2005		 Succeeded by
Tye Waller
Preceded by
Don Buford
Washington Nationals First Base coach
2006		 Succeeded by
Jerry Morales
Preceded by
Marc Bombard
Philadelphia Phillies First Base coach
2007–2010		 Succeeded by
Sam Perlozzo
Preceded by
Mariano Duncan
Los Angeles Dodgers First Base Coach
2011–2015		 Succeeded by
George Lombard
Preceded by
Tony Tarasco
Washington Nationals First Base coach
2016–2017		 Succeeded by
Tim Bogar