Davey Lopes remembered by Dodgers infield teammates: ‘He was the catalyst’

It was one of the best games Ron Cey ever played in his MLB career.

And looking back more than 50 years later, he had Davey Lopes partially to thank.

Entering Game 2 of the 1974 National League Championship Series, Cey can still remember struggling to find a feel for his swing.

Former Dodgers (from left) Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes and Steve Garvey formed one of MLB’s best infields. MediaNews Group via Getty Images

“I was kinda sluggish and just felt like I didn’t have a lot of energy,” Cey recalled in a phone conversation with The California Post. “I mentioned to Davey, ‘I just don’t feel quick. I don’t feel like I’m getting to the zone very well with bat speed and everything.’”

So, his longtime Dodgers teammate offered a suggestion.

“Back then, I had like a 34/35-ounce Louisville Slugger (bat) I was swinging,” Cey said. “So he reaches over and gives me one of his bats, which were a lot smaller. It felt like a toothpick.”

At first, Cey was hesitant.

“Well, this is almost too small,” the eventual six-time All-Star slugger told his speedy, contact-hitting, four-time All-Star teammate.

Lopes, however, was persistent.

“Just try it out,” he countered. “I’m pretty sure you’ll see a difference.”

Lo and behold, Cey proceeded to go 4 for 5 with two doubles and a homer –– keying an NLCS victory that helped those ‘74 Dodgers reach the World Series.

“I should have done that long before, but I was too stubborn,” said Cey, who switched to a lighter bat model for the rest of his career. “And he changed my mind.”

That was one of the many memories that came flooding back for Cey on Wednesday, after learning Lopes had died at the age of 80 following several years of declining health.

To the rest of the baseball world, Lopes will be remembered for his lengthy list of accomplishments: 1,671 hits, 614 RBI and (most notably) 557 steals over a 16-year playing career that also included one Gold Glove at second base and a 1981 World Series title.

But to those who played with him during a storied decade-long run with the Dodgers, Lopes’ legacy will transcend just his stats.

“He was the catalyst,” Steve Garvey, the 10-time All-Star and 1974 MVP winner, told The California Post in the wake of Lopes’ death. “He was a quiet leader.”

Former Dodgers second baseman Davey Lopes, who died Wednesday, was part of one of MLB’s greatest infields. Getty Images

Lopes, Cey, Garvey and Bill Russell, of course, will forever share the closest historical link –– serving as the Dodgers’ starting infield for an MLB-record 8 ½ consecutive seasons from 1973 to their World Series title in 1981.

“When it’s all said and done,” Garvey said, “you could argue it’s the greatest infield in history.”

And it wouldn’t have been the same without Lopes, the undersized second baseman who set the table as the team’s leadoff hitter and menaced opposing teams with his speed on the basepaths.

“He controlled the game at times with his base-stealing capabilities,” Cey said. “He wreaked havoc on defenses … His contributions were immense.”

For all of Lopes’ on-field accolades, however, Cey spent just as much time Wednesday reminiscing on their lifelong friendship away from it.  

They originally met during spring training in 1969, as just a couple young prospects playing a game of pool at the team’s old Vero Beach, Florida, training facility. They remained close for more than half a century to follow, seeing each other in recent years at alumni camps and autograph signings.

As teammates with the Dodgers, Cey joked how “you’d see more of them guys than you do your own family.”

During the 8 ½ years the infield quartet was together, they took pride in a longevity that still hasn’t been matched.

“I think we probably made Tommy Lasorda’s and Walter Alston’s days a lot easier as manager,” Cey said. “Because we played every single day … We were the glue.”

During that time, they helped the Dodgers win four NL pennants, nearly 800 regular-season games and a long-sought championship in 1981.

But while triumphs will long be remembered, so too will the little moments like before that NLCS game in 1974.

“It was real special for all of us to be a part of that, to carve out our own little history and tradition,” Cey said. “We have a unique spot in Dodger history.”

As well as in each others’ lives.

California Post baseball columnist Dylan Hernandez contributed to this report.