The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that franchise icon and longtime MLB coach Davey Lopes died on Wednesday. He was 80 years old.
Lopes is arguably the greatest second baseman in Dodgers history. He was a four-time All-Star from 1978-81, an impressive run that started with a Gold Glove Award and culminated in a World Series ring.
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He won another World Series as a coach for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. Altogether, between playing and then coaching, Lopes spent 45 years in the majors.
Despite standing only 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, Lopes brought oomph to the plate, where he set a Dodgers record for homers by a second baseman. He was also swift on the base path, twice finishing as the NL’s stolen base leader in the ’70s.
After helping the Dodgers come back from a 0-2 deficit and beat the New York Yankees in six games during the 1981 World Series, Lopes was traded to the Athletics. He spent 1982-84 with the A’s, 1984-86 with the Chicago Cubs and 1986-87 with the Houston Astros to round out his playing career.
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The East Providence, Rhode Island, native was hired by the Texas Rangers to join manager Bobby Valentine’s staff the next year. That jumpstarted Lopes’ coaching career, which touched four different decades.
He got his shot as a manager with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2000. The Brewers didn’t record better than a third-place NL Central finish during his two-plus seasons running the clubhouse. But it wasn’t long before Lopes was back coaching, returning to the show as the San Diego Padres’ first-base coach in 2003.
Lopes’ stay with the Phillies, spanning 2007-10, saw him give the club a boost on the base path as a baserunning advisor. Philadelphia won the NL East all four years, including in 2008 when they won the World Series.
He wrapped up his coaching career with the Dodgers (2011-15) and Washington Nationals (2016-17).