If you ask any 75-year-old(ish) Dodger fan which Dodger team was the best ever, chances are exceptionally good that they will say the 1955 World Series Champion Brooklyn Dodgers, which included guys named Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Roy Campanella and some fellow named Jackie Robinson.

Ask that same question to a 65-year-old(ish) Dodger fan and they will undoubtedly say the 1963 Dodgers, who swept the mighty and highly-favored New York Yankees in the 1963 World Series in four games with guys named Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Maury Wills, Tommy Davis, Willie Davis, Ron Fairly and John Roseboro.

But if you were to ask that same question to Dodger fans who were blessed to be around during the ’70s and ’80s, and who were also blessed to witness one of, if not the best Dodgers infield combinations in the franchise’s (now) 137-year history, their answer would, of course, be former Dodgers third baseman Ron Cey, shortstop Bill Russell, second baseman Davey Lopes, and first baseman Steve Garvey; who were collectively and affectionately known as ‘The Infield.’

Although none of the four will likely ever grace the Halls of Cooperstown (although there are often spirited debates that perhaps Garvey should), the four, who played together for nearly nine seasons from 1973 to 1981, not only won the Dodgers first World Series title in 12 years in 1981 but also supplied the National League with a plethora of winning All-Star teams over what – to that point – had pretty much become an annual American League ‘gimmie.’

In his 12 seasons with the Dodgers from 1971 to 1982, Cey, who was nicknamed “The Penguin” for his rather unique running style, posted a slash line of .264 / .359 / .445 / .804 with 228 home runs, 223 doubles, 18 triples, and 842 RBI. He was also co-MVP of the aforementioned 1981 World Series, along with catcher Steve Yeager and outfielder Pedro Guerrero.

In his 18 major league seasons – all with the Dodgers – from 1969 to 1986, Russell posted a career slash line of .263 / .310 / .338 / .648 with 46 home runs, 293 doubles, 37 triples, and 627 RBI. Additionally, in 1973, he played in all 162 of the Dodgers regular-season games. I mean, who does that these days?

In his 10 seasons with the Dodgers from 1972 to 1981, Lopes posted a slash line of .262 / .349 / .380 / .729 with 99 home runs, 165 doubles, 39 triples, and 384 RBI as the Dodgers everyday leadoff batter. He also stole 418 bases, while being caught only 85 times.

And then there’s “Popeye,” as Garvey was affectionally known for his massive forearms. In his 14 seasons with the Dodgers from 1969 to 1982, Garvey posted a remarkable slash line of .301 / .337 / .459 / .796 with 211 home runs, 333 doubles, 35 triples, and 992 RBI. He was also a 10-time All-Star, a two-time All-Star Game MVP, the 1974 National League MVP, a four-time Gold Glove first baseman, a two-time NLCS MVP, and, of course, a World Series champion in 1981. (Did I mention that there are often spirited debates that perhaps Garvey should be in the Hall of Fame?).

Although it goes without saying that today’s millennial Dodger fans are blessed with an almost every day likely infield of Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Gavin Lux, and Max Muncy who are all capable of individually putting up greater numbers than Messrs. Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes, and Steve Garvey, it is extremely unlikely that in today’s free agent-driven game, we will ever again see four infielders play together as a unit for nine consecutive seasons – as did ‘The Infield.’

Play Ball!

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