Former Milwaukee Brewers manager Davey Lopes dies at 80
Davey Lopes, who was manager in Milwaukee for two-plus seasons during the team's move to Miller Park, has died at age 80.
Former Milwaukee Brewers manager Davey Lopes, who spent two-plus seasons at the helm that included the team's move into Miller Park, died at age 80 after a battle with Parkinson's, according to TMZ. The World Series champion and four-time All-Star as a player proved to be a formidable base-stealing threat for the Los Angeles Dodgers, swiping 77 bags in 1975 and another 63 in 1976 to lead the league both times, and that was before he made four all-star teams in his mid-30s. He won a Gold Glove and played big-league baseball until age 42, spending time with Oakland, the Chicago Cubs and Houston.
"Lopes was a member of the team’s record-setting infield of the 1970s and 1980s and one of the finest basestealers in MLB history," the Dodgers posted on social media . "Our condolences go out to his family and friends. " The Milwaukee Brewers mourn the passing of Davey Lopes pic.
twitter. com/wmW7H0j7FP — Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 8, 2026 Lopes went on to a long career as a big-league coach, but he was only manager once, when the Brewers hired the San Diego Padres first-base coach in 1999, replacing Phil Garner (at the time the winningest manager in Brewers history) and his interim replacement, Jim Lefebvre. The candidate pool at the time included Don Baylor, the Atlanta Braves hitting coach who looked like an early frontrunner for the job, though it ultimately came down to Lopes and former Brewers infielder Willie Randolph.
The team also interviewed Cito Gaston, Ken Griffey Sr. and Carlos Tosca. The Brewers were not in a competitive mode, however, and Lopes posted a record of 144-195 over his two-plus seasons, fired when the 2002 team started 3-12.