At Age 39, Cub Outfielder Lopes Is Still on the Run

If life really begins at 40, Davey Lopes is a year ahead of schedule.

Yet considering the way he runs the bases, it’s not surprising he has gotten an early jump on things.

At 39, Lopes still runs as if he is being chased by a dog. He stole third base twice and scored the winning run Monday as the Chicago Cubs beat the Padres, 5-3.

The Padres shouldn’t feel alone. Lopes has been successful on 35 of 37 stolen base attempts this year, including all nine attempts of third base.

“Stealing third base is not much of a challenge,” Lopes said. “You can’t have any doubt in your mind when you attempt to steal third base because you’re already in scoring position. A lot of times, I could’ve stolen bases and didn’t. I look for quality stolen bases, not quantity stolen bases. I could’ve stolen 100 to 150 more bases in my career if I ran just to run.”

Both stolen bases Monday were of quality. Lopes stole third with two outs in the fourth inning but was stranded. He stole third after a leadoff double in the eighth and scored when Keith Moreland singled.

Each time, the Cubs’ left fielder easily beat the throws to third base.

“He has good instincts of when to go,” Cub Manager Jim Frey said. “When he goes, he generates speed the first step. A lot of guys get jumps, but their first two steps aren’t their best. Lopes is flying on the first step.”

Lopes is stealing bases at a better pace than he had in years. He has stolen more bases this season than he has since recording 44 steals in 1979 with the Dodgers. His career best was 63 with the 1976 Dodgers.

The Cub public relations department recently discovered that Lopes is attempting to become the first 39-year-old ever to steal 50 bases.

“If it happens, fine,” Lopes said. “I’m sure they had to go into the archives to find that.”

The Cubs had to look toward Oakland to acquire Lopes for last year’s stretch run to the National League East championship. Lopes became a Cub on Aug. 31 as the player to be named in a deal that had sent pitcher Chuck Rainey to the A’s on July 15.

Lopes played sparingly down the stretch in 1984, raising the obvious question of whether his career was finished.

“The last year or so, he didn’t get to play much,” Frey said. “They had all of those outfielders over there at Oakland. If a guy sits a lot, it’s hard to tell about him. Especially at his age, people don’t know.”

However, Lopes thought he knew that people were wrong when they considered him history.

“I’m sure a lot of people thought that,” he said. “I don’t care what people think. People can only guess. They look at your age and say you can’t do this and that. They can’t look inside and see the intangibles. It’s not what other people think, it’s what I think.”

Because of Lopes, Frey must do some thinking now. Gary Matthews, the team’s regular left fielder, is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list today. Should Frey start Matthews in left again? Or should he stay with Lopes, his hottest player?

Frey wouldn’t commit himself after Monday’s game, but Lopes thinks he knows the answer.

“In all honesty, I expect him to give the job back to Sarge (Matthews),” he said. “If he says I play, I play. If he says I don’t play, I don’t play. I’m beyond the stage of where I’ll bitch.”

Lopes did complain about one thing. He said he was tired of answering the same questions about his age and base-stealing exploits.

“I’ve been answering the same questions all year,” he said. “It’s like Lazarus rising from the dead.”

In 1985, the career of Davey Lopes has certainly risen from the ashes.