David Earle Lopes (; born May 3, 1945) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former second baseman and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. He played in MLB for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, and

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

; he managed the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Career

Playing

Lopes was drafted by the

in the 2nd round of the 1968 MLB January Draft. Previously, he had played in high school at

La Salle Academy } La Salle Academy is an American private, Catholic all-boys' high school in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. The school is run by the Eastern North American District of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. ...

and in college for Iowa Wesleyan College and

Washburn University Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,10 ...

. He had previously been drafted by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

in the 8th round of the 1967 MLB Draft but did not sign. When Lopes started his career in the Dodger organization, he was an introvert, reserved and quiet.

Tommy Lasorda Thomas Charles Lasorda (September 22, 1927 – January 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the Natio ...

encouraged him to assert himself more. According to

Tommy John Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians, ...

, "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." Lasorda was also responsible for converting Lopes from an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

into a second baseman. Lopes made his Major League debut for the Dodgers on September 22, 1972, against the

and was 0 for 5 in that game. He recorded his first hit on a single to right field off of the Giants Jim Barr on September 24, 1972. His first home run was hit on May 13, 1973, also against Barr. Davey Lopes - Los Angeles Dodgers

Lopes spent nine seasons with the

as their regular second baseman. Along with Steve Garvey ( 1B),

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Va ...

( SS) and Ron Cey ( 3B), which stayed together for eight and a half seasons. Used in the leadoff role most of his career, Lopes was one of the most effective base stealers in baseball's modern era. 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 Timothy Raines Sr. (born September 16, 1959), nicknamed "Rock",Raines received this nickname at an Expo rookie camp when he was seventeen, based on his physique. is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He played as a left ...

and Willie Wilson). In 1975, Lopes stole 38 consecutive bases without getting caught, breaking a 53-year-old record set by

Max Carey Maximillian George Carnarius (January 11, 1890 – May 30, 1976), known as Max George Carey, was an American professional baseball center fielder and manager. Carey played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1910 through 192 ...

. Lopes' record was later broken by Vince Coleman in 1989. Lopes led the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

with 77 steals in 1975, and again with 63 the following season. A rare blend of speed and power, Lopes hit a career-high 28 home runs in 1979, becoming one of only seven second basemen in NL history to have hit that many home runs in a season (

Rogers Hornsby Rogers Hornsby Sr. (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 193 ...

, Davey Johnson, Jeff Kent, Ryne Sandberg, Juan Samuel and

Chase Utley Chase Cameron Utley (born December 17, 1978), nicknamed "The Man" and "Silver Fox", is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons, primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies. ...

are the others). He also hit 17 twice (1978 and 1983), appeared in four consecutive All-Star games from 1978 to 1981, played in one Division Series, six

NLCS The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two National ...

and four

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

, including as a member of the 1981 World Champion Dodgers. Arguably Lopes' best World Series was against the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

, when he hit three home runs and seven RBIs. Before the 1982 season, the Dodgers sent Lopes to the

(for minor leaguer Lance Hudson) to make room for rookie second baseman Steve Sax. With Oakland, Lopes teamed with

Rickey Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American retired professional baseball left fielder who played his 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with hi ...

to steal 158 bases, setting a new American League record for teammates. Henderson collected 130, Lopes 28. The Athletics traded him to the

on August 31, 1984, to complete an earlier deal for

Chuck Rainey Charles Walter Rainey III (born June 17, 1940) is an American bass guitarist who has performed and recorded with many well-known acts, including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and Quincy Jones. Rainey is credited for playing bass on more than 1,0 ...

. He was then traded on July 21, 1986, to the

for

Frank DiPino Frank Michael DiPino (born October 22, 1956) is a former American professional baseball pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). On Se ...

. 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 run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 614

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

in 1,812

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. He played in four All-Star Games and four

Coaching

Following his retirement as a player, Lopes coached

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

from 1992 to 1994 and the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

from 1995 to 1999. Lopes was hired as the

manager in 2000 following

Bud Selig Allan Huber "Bud" Selig (; born July 30, 1934) is an American baseball executive who currently serves as the Commissioner Emeritus of Baseball. Previously, he served as the ninth Commissioner of Baseball from 1998 to 2015. He initially served a ...

's recommendation to hire a manager with a minority background. In 2001 Lopes was the target of controversy following statements he made regarding stolen-base king

. Managing a game for the Milwaukee Brewers, Lopes was enraged that Henderson had stolen second base in the seventh inning, while Henderson's Padres held a seven-run lead. Lopes said that this violated an

unwritten rule Unwritten rules (synonyms: Unspoken rules) are behavioral constraints imposed in organizations or societies that are not typically voiced or written down. They usually exist in unspoken and unwritten format because they form a part of the logical ...

against "showing up" the opposing team. Lopes was quoted, "He was going on his ass. We were going to drill him." However, Henderson was removed from the game. Afterwards, Lopes said "Somebody might not be as lenient as I was, and drill the hitter that's next to him n the lineup" The day after, the

Elias Sports Bureau The Elias Sports Bureau is a privately held company providing historical and current statistical information for the major professional sports leagues operating in the United States and Canada. Elias is the official statistician for Major League Ba ...

produced a list of the seven times in Davey Lopes' playing career that he had stolen a base while his team was leading by seven or more runs. Tired of the Brewers' continued poor performance and Lopes' media and field antics, club management fired him as manager fifteen games into the 2002 season. He was 144-195 in 3 seasons with the Brewers. Lopes rejoined the Padres as first base coach from 2003 to 2005 and then held the same position with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

in 2006 and the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

from 2007 to 2010. In each of his Lopes' three seasons with the Phillies, the team led the majors in stolen base percentage, including the best in MLB history in 2007 – 87.9% (138-for-157). They finished second or third in total steals each of those seasons. On November 22, 2010, he was named the first base coach for the

, a position he held through the 2015 season. On November 5, 2015, he was named the first base coach of the

. His contract expired after the 2017 season. Lopes decided to retire from coaching after the 2017 season.

Statistics

Playing career

Defensively, Lopes recorded an overall .977

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, di ...

. 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 RBI, 19 stolen bases and 25 walks.

Managerial record

Personal life

Lopes was diagnosed with

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...

following a routine physical in February 2008. Lopes is of Cape Verdean descent. He has a recreation center named after him in Providence, RI.

Highlights

*4-time All-Star (1978–1981) *First in the All-Star Game vote (1980) * NL Gold Glove Award (1978) *Twice led NL in stolen bases (1975–76) *His career 557 stolen bases ranks him 26th in All-Time list *Ranks sixth in All-Time list with an 83.01% stolen base success rate *Ranks second in Dodgers history with 413 steals behind

Maury Wills Maurice Morning Wills (October 2, 1932 – September 19, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1959 through 1966 and the latter part of ...

(490) *In the

1978 World Series The 1978 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1978 season. The 75th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the Natio ...

against the

, hit two home runs and drove in five runs in Game One, and added another HR in the sixth and final game. *Stole five bases in the

1981 NLCS The 1981 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five series to end the 1981 National League season. It was the 13th NLCS in all. The series featured the first-half West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the second-half East ...

*Stole four bases in the

1981 World Series The 1981 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1981 season. The 78th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the Nati ...

*Set a NLCS record (since broken) with eight career stolen bases *Tied an NL record (since broken) with five stolen bases in a game (1974)

Feats

* On August 20, 1974, Lopes set a club record (since broken by

Shawn Green Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder. Green was a 1st round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star. He drove in 100 runs four times and scored 100 runs four times, hit ...

) with 15

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

in a Dodgers 18–8 victory against the Cubs at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...

. Lopes hit three home runs, a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

and a single, as Los Angeles totaled 48 bases, also a team record. *In 1975, Lopes set an MLB record by stealing 38 consecutive bases without getting caught, breaking a 53-year-old mark set by

. Lopes' record was broken by Vince Coleman in 1989.

References

External links

*Davey Lopes a
Baseball Almanac
*Davey Lopes at Baseball Biography: *
Davey Lopes
*
Davey Lopes
- Baseballbiography.com *Davey Lopes a
Pura Pelota
(Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) *Davey Lope
Washington Nationals BioThe Baseball PageDavey Lopes Los Angeles Dodgers OnlineProvidence RI Recreation Facility named in honor of Davey LopesBaseball Gauge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopes, Davey 1945 births Living people African-American baseball players African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball managers Albuquerque Dukes players Baltimore Orioles coaches Baseball players from Rhode Island Chicago Cubs players Daytona Beach Dodgers players Gold Glove Award winners Houston Astros players La Salle Academy alumni Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Los Angeles Dodgers coaches Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball second basemen Milwaukee Brewers managers National League All-Stars National League stolen base champions Oakland Athletics players People from East Providence, Rhode Island Philadelphia Phillies coaches San Diego Padres coaches Spokane Indians players Tucson Toros players Washburn Ichabods baseball players Washburn Ichabods men's basketball players Washington Nationals coaches American men's basketball players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople American people of Cape Verdean descent