Dodger infield of Garvey, Lopes, Cey and Russell
From 1973 to 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers played a majority of their games with a starting infield consisting of four players: Steve Garvey at first base, Davey Lopes at second, Ron Cey at third, and Bill Russell at shortstop. Beginning on June 23, 1973, and lasting until Game 6 of the 1981 World Series, the quartet set a record in Major League Baseball for the length of time the same four players were designated as starters at those positions—eight-and-a-half years.
Background
On June 13, 1973, the quartet of players,
The head scout for the Dodgers,
With the Dodgers, the four players went on to record a total of 21 All-Star Game appearances while capturing four National League pennants and one World Series championship.[11] Garvey was a four-time Gold Glove recipient, and Lopes received it once.[12]
The last game the four players played together was the Dodgers' victory over the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the 1981 World Series at Yankee Stadium.[13] The longevity of the group is attributed to each of the players playing at their peak, the winning record of the Dodgers, and the similarity in temperament and age of each of the men.[9] According to writer Gary Kelin, "free agency and the sport's evolving financial structure make it improbable that any group will equal its longevity."[9] They are still known among Dodger fans as "The Infield",[14] while W. R. Bill Schroeder, writing in the Baseball Research Journal in 1980, described them as the "Durable Dodger Infield".[11][15]
Aftermath
Garvey left for the
Notes
- ^ While the noted four player were "designated as starters" by the Dodgers, this was not a consecutive games streak for the players individually or as a group—for example, Russell only started half of the team's games during the 1975 season.[4] The quartet started a total of 810 regular-season games together, approximately 60% of Dodger games during the noted timespan.[5]
References
- ISBN 9781476628264.
- ^ "Philadelphia Phillies 16, Los Angeles Dodgers 3". Retrosheet. June 13, 1973. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "This Day In Dodgers History: Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey & Bill Russell Begin Streak As 'Longest Running Infield'". Dodger Blue.
- ^ "Bill Russell Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Stephen, Eric (June 23, 2020). "On this date, the Dodgers' famed infield began their 8½-year run". truebluela.com.
- ^ a b c Jaffe, Jay (June 25, 2013). "Remembering the Longest Running Infield 40 years after the Dodgers quartet debuted". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Schwartz, Yehuda (September 24, 2019). "Who has the best infield in all of baseball?". primetimesportstalk.com.
- ^ Schoenfield, David (September 24, 2019). "The best infield of all time? The answer may surprise you". ESPN.
- ^ a b c Klein, Gary (June 23, 2013). "Dodgers' infield of the 1970s had a lasting impact". LA Times.
- ^ "San Diego Padres 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 2". Retrosheet. April 6, 1973. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Schroeder, W. R. Bill (1980). "The Durable Dodger Infield". Baseball Research Journal. pp. 34–37. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012 – via SABR.
- ^ Gold Glove Award Winners
- ISBN 9781582613161.
- ^ Cervenka, Ron (April 17, 2020). "Just How Good Was 'The Infield?' … Very". thinkbluela.com.
- ^ "Index to SABR Publications". silo.tips. p. 357. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ Heyman, John (May 15, 2008). "What a deal!". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 19, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
Further reading
- Vecsey, George (October 17, 1981). "Dodgers' durable Quartet". Sports. The New York Times.
External links
- "This Day In Dodgers History: Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey & Bill Russell Begin Streak As 'Longest Running Infield'". This Day In Baseball. June 13, 1973.
- Mike Noren (June 13, 2020). "The long-time #Dodgers infield of Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey played its first game together on this date in 1973". Gummy Arts – via Twitter.
- "The long-running Dodgers infield of Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey played its first game together on this date in 1973". Gummy Arts – via Instagram.