Davey Lopes, Dodgers legend & World Series champion, dead at 80

Davey Lopes, the second baseman who helped lead the Dodgers to the 1981 World Series, died on Wednesday, the team announced.

“Lopes was a member of the team’s record-setting infield of the 1970s and 1980s and one of the finest basestealers in MLB history,” Los Angeles officials said in a statement just minutes before the Dodgers took the field at Rogers Center in Toronto for a matchup with the Blue Jays.

“Our condolences go out to his family and friends.”

Lopes was 80 years old.

The Washburn University product was picked by the Giants in the eighth round of the 1967 draft, but he did not sign. He was then taken by the Dodgers in the second round of the 1968 draft, and he went on to have a storied career for the Boys in Blue.

He made his debut in 1972, and he became a regular contributor for the Dodgers in 1973. 

He was prolific on the basepaths, stealing 30 or more bags eight times in his 16-year career.

In 1978, he made his first-ever All-Star Game, and he went on to be selected to the league’s Midsummer Classic three more times.

In ’81, he was part of the Dodgers team that defeated the Yankees for the World Series crown.

Lopes finished his career with stints in Oakland, Chicago and Houston, officially wrapping his time as an MLB player in 1987. He ended up playing in a total of 1,812 games and recording 557 stolen bases with a .263 batting average.

Lopes went on to coach in retirement, suiting up for the Rangers, Orioles and Padres in the 1990s. In 2000, he was hired as the Brewers’ manager.

He piled up a 144-195 record before he was fired in 2002.

Lopes later had roles on the Nationals’ and Phillies’ staffs before he returned to the Dodgers to be a first base coach.

He ultimately retired from managing following 2017.

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