Davey Lopes, Dodgers’ infield staple and record-breaking base stealer, dies aged 80
Davey Lopes, a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ record-setting infield in the 1970s and ’80s and one of baseball’s best base stealers, died Wednesday. He was eighty.
His former wife, Lin Lopes, informed the Dodgers of his death in Rhode Island.
During his ten-year tenure with the Dodgers, Mr. Lopes was named to four All-Star teams. He appeared in four World Series games and won the championship in 1981. He has the team record for most games played at second base, with 1,134. His 1,145 batting leadoff games are second in the organization only to Maury Wills’ 1,279.
On September 22, 1972, Mr. Lopes, then 27, made his Major League Baseball debut.
The following season, Steve Garvey, Bill Russell, Ron Cey, and Lopes began the first of 8½ consecutive years, starting together in the infield.
Mr. Lopes established himself as one of baseball’s most prolific base stealers. He stole 418 bases during his Dodger career, trailing only Wills (490). Mr. Lopes owns the franchise record for a career success rate of 83.1% (with a minimum of 100 thefts).
On August 4, 1974, Mr. Lopes became the first Dodger since Wills to steal four bases in a game, and 20 days later, he tied the National League record with five thefts against the Cardinals. In 1975, Mr. Lopes set an MLB record with 38 straight thefts without being caught.
He led the majors with 77 thefts in 1975 and the National League with 63 in 1976. In 1978, he stole 45 bases on 49 tries.
Mr. Lopes had his best World Series performance in 1978, hitting two home runs in Game 1 against the New York Yankees.
Following his departure from the Dodgers, he played for the Oakland Athletics (1982-84), the Chicago Cubs (1984-86), and the Houston Astros (1986-87). He stole 557 bases in his career, ranking 26th in MLB history, and hit .263 in 1,812 regular-season games, totaling 155 home runs, 614 RBI, 232 doubles, and 50 triples.
Following his playing career, Mr. Lopes managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2000 to 2002.
He won a second World Series as the Phillies’ first-base coach before returning to the Dodgers to instruct baserunning and first base from 2011 to 2015. He spent his final two seasons in the majors as the Nationals’ first base coach from 2016 to 2017.
Mr. Lopes is survived by two brothers, Patrick and John, and four sisters, Jean, Judith, Mary, and Nina.
First published on April 9, 2026, 12:32 a.m.