One of the most effective thieves in a base stealing era, Lopes stole five in a game on August 24, 1974 to tie a 70-year-old NL record and in 1975 he set a since-broken ML record with 38 consecutive successful steals. He was the league leader in 1975 (77) and 1976 (63), and he stole five in the 1981 LCS and added four more in the World Series. He set the NLCS career record of nine, and his ten in the WS ranks third. He stole 47 bases at age thirty-nine and 25 at forty. His career total of 557 stolen bases ranked 10th all-time as the 1980s ended.
Perhaps the best moments in Lopes’s career came in the 1978 World Series against the Yankees. He hit two HR and drove in five runs in Game One, and added another HR in the sixth and final game. In a losing cause, he hit .308 with two steals for the Series.
When the Dodgers traded Lopes to the A’s following the 1981 World Series, they broke up the longest-running infield ever. Lopes has played with Steve Garvey, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey for nine seasons. Lopes won the 1978 Golden Glove at second base and had excellent power for his position. He hit a career-high 28 HR in 1979 and hit 17 twice. He coached for the Rangers following his playing career in the late 1980s.
