Ron Cey

They were as synchronized as a barbershop quartet, as harmonious as Motown’s Four Tops, and as strong as Marvel’s Fantastic Four. From June 1973 through 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ infield of first baseman Steve Garvey, second baseman Davey Lopes, shortstop Bill Russell, and third baseman Ron Cey remained intact. Cey earned six of the foursome’s 21 All-Star selections and helped propel the Dodgers to four National League pennants and one World Series championship. From 1975 to 1984, Cey hit 243 home runs, ranking him in in the top 10 in the NL during that span.

During the Dodgers’ first 16 seasons in Los Angeles (1958-1973), the team had 13 different Opening Day third basemen. Cey solidified the hot corner. Nicknamed the Penguin for his waddle-like walk, he hardly played like a flightless bird. Instead, Cey’s powerful bat and superb defense helped him soar above his competition to become one of the majors’ top third basemen.

Ronald Charles Cey was born on February 15, 1948, in Tacoma, Washington. He was the oldest of three children (sister Chrstine and brother Doug) born to Frank and Shirley (nee Robinson) Cey. Frank Cey was the proprietor of a gas station as well as fixture on Washington’s stock car circuit.

“I played Boys Club baseball and all athletics when I was growing up,” Ron said. “And it gave me a good background not only in baseball, but all the other sports.”1

Indeed, it did. At Mount Tahoma High School, Cey was a three-sport star. In basketball, he led the city in scoring, with an average of 20.2 points.2 He was an All-City selection following his junior and senior seasons. In football, Cey, a halfback, made All-City twice.3

Cey completed the All-City trifecta his senior baseball season, when he batted .345 and led the league in RBIs.4  The New York Mets drafted him in the 19th round of the 1966 June Amateur draft. Cey declined to sign and instead enrolled at Washington State University.

He played third base for the Cougars. As a sophomore, Cey led the team in batting (.362), RBIs, home runs and triples. Washington State coach Chuck Brayton gave Cey the “penguin” moniker. “I think it’s good for a lot of reasons,” said Cey. “It has gotten me a lotta publicity and it relates to young people, which I think is important.”5  

Former San Francisco Giants’ scouting director Jack Schwartz recalled whiffing on Cey, who played for the Cheney Studs, a semipro club in Washington owned by the Giants’ largest independent shareholder, Ben Cheney. “He’s a dumpy little fellow,” Schwartz said. “All the scouts are afraid to bring him in and say they’ve signed him because of the way he looks. I sent three heavyweight scouts to look at Ron Cey. All three of them turned him down. So much for that.”6  

The Giants’ loss was the Dodgers’ gain, as they drafted Cey in the third round of the 1968 June Amateur Draft. Los Angeles scouts Bill Brenzel and Dick Calvert then signed Cey, who immediately reported to the Tri-City (Kennewick, Washington) Atoms.

In 74 games, Cey led the short season Class A Northwest League with 62 RBIs. As he ascended through the Dodgers’ minor league chain, he had little difficulty hitting. Promoted to the Class A California League in 1969, Cey drilled 22 home runs for the Bakersfield Dodgers while batting .331. In 1970, with Albuquerque in the Class AA Texas League, he batted .331 again.

“The first time I saw Ron Cey,” said Los Angeles general manager Al Campanis, “I thought, ‘Damn, what’s a right-handed Yogi Berra doing trying to play third base?’ But the more I saw, the more I liked. Ron grows on you.”7 

The Dodgers’ Triple-A Spokane Indians affiliate was led by former major league pitcher Tommy Lasorda, who had been managing in the organization’s farm system since 1965. “Tommy’s been the most influential man in my career,” said Cey. “Basically, he’s very aggressive, very open-minded, very emotional. His personality dictates how we’re being run and you can see there’s a great deal of aggressiveness on the field. We’re out there challenging clubs, making clubs try and play our game each and every day.”8      

In 1971 at Spokane, Cey had his best season yet, hitting .328 while smashing 32 home runs and driving in 123 runs. The 123 RBIs were a Pacific Coast League (PCL) record (under the current schedule), breaking the old mark of 120 set by Salt Lake City’s Billy Cowan in 1963.9  

After his impressive season at Spokane, Los Angeles brought Cey up late in the season. He made his major league debut on September 3, 1971, at Dodger Stadium. Pinch-hitting for pitcher José Peña, Cey struck out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

On September 11, an off day, Cey traveled to Chicago to marry the former Frances Fishbein. Their honeymoon was delayed while he rejoined the Dodgers and she returned to Scottsdale, Arizona, to progress toward her master’s degree in social work at Arizona State.10  Ron and Fran had two children: Daniel and Amanda.  

In 1972, Albuquerque replaced Spokane as the Dodger’s top affiliate. Under Lasorda, the Dukes won the PCL pennant. Cey led the league in walks and batted .329 with 23 home runs and 103 RBIs. The Dodgers recalled him following the PCL playoffs.

“It was a great deal of bus rides,’ Cey said of his minor-league years. “It was very beneficial to us because we had a chance to go through and experience the good and the bad, work out all those things and understand what it is. You get a good picture of the game itself. With that we matured a great deal before we got here.”11   

Before Garvey became a mainstay as the Dodgers’ first baseman, he played third base. However, his error total doubled to 28 in 1972, necessitating a change. Cey had nothing left to prove in the minors, so Los Angeles manager Walter Alston gave him a shot to win the job. Perhaps as insurance, the Dodgers reacquired third baseman Ken McMullen from California. But McMullen’s early season back spasms opened the door for Cey to start full-time.

Cey showed his prowess right away when he was named NL Player-of-the-Week from May 14-20. He went 12-for-23 and drove in 10 runs.12 Although Cey batted only .245, he was second on the team in RBIs with 80. He also led NL third basemen in assists and double plays.

LA (95-66) finished 3½ games behind first-place Cincinnati in the NL West in 1973. The Dodgers held a three-game lead going into September but lost four of five head-to-head matchups, helping to seal their fate.

In 1974, LA was 36-14 and led the arch-rival Reds by seven games at the end of May. Cey hit 12 home runs and drove in 64 runs in the first half. He collected a club-record seven RBIs against Chicago on June 1, then set a new mark with eight RBIs in a 15-4 win over San Diego on July 31.

He was voted to start in the All-Star Game held at Three Rivers Stadium. “I still think it’s strictly a popularity contest, but I’m honored to learn that many fans think so highly of me,” said Cey. “It will be a special feeling being in the same lineup with Henry Aaron.”13  It was the first of his six straight appearances in the Midsummer Classic. 

Again, the Dodgers held a slim lead heading into the final month. “I say we blew the title last year,” said Cey. “The Reds didn’t win it.”14 That outcome changed as the Dodgers (102-60) held on to nip the Reds (98-64). It was the Dodgers’ first NL West title since the divisional play began in 1969. Cey batted .262 with 18 home runs and 97 RBIs – breaking Cookie Lavagetto’s franchise record for third basemen of 87 RBIs in 1939.  

In the 1974 National League Championship Series, Los Angeles disposed of the Pirates in four games and moved on to face the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. The A’s were looking for their third straight championship. And they got it, beating the Dodgers in five games – four decided by a single run. Cey batted .313 with a homer in the NLCS, but just .176 in the World Series.

Over the next two seasons, Cincinnati dominated the NL West and won two straight world championships. Cey continued to put up big numbers, hitting 25 home runs and driving in 101 runs in 1975, 23 and 80 the following year. “Batting averages don’t win games,” said Cey. “What’s important are the people who score runs and the people who drive in runs. That’s what I am supposed to do – drive in runs.”15

Lasorda replaced Alston at the end of the 1976 season, ending the latter’s 23-year reign as the Dodger skipper. In 1977 and 1978, Los Angeles not only knocked Cincinnati off its perch in the NL West but also captured two straight pennants. Cey was blistering at the plate to begin 1977. In his NL Player of the Month April, he batted .425 with nine home runs and a major-league record 29 RBIs, which catapulted him to set career highs for home runs (30) and RBIs (110) in 1977. “He is perhaps the most disciplined hitter I’ve ever seen,” said Lasorda. “I compare him with Harmon Killebrew. Ron has a great knowledge of the strike zone, he seldom swings at a bad pitch and he’ll take those walks. That’s what makes him an outstanding power hitter.”16  Cey was one of four Dodgers (with Garvey, Reggie Smith and Dusty Baker to hit at least 30 home runs.

Cey hit a grand slam in Game One of the 1977 NLCS off Steve Carlton and went on to hit .308 for the series as the Dodgers clipped the Phils in four games.

But both 1977 and 1978 ended with six-game World Series defeats at the hands of the New York Yankees. In Game Two of the 1978 series, Cey’s three-run homer off Catfish Hunter provided the winning margin in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory. LA took a two-game lead, only to lose four straight.

Cey pounded out 28 home runs in both 1979 and 1980. In the latter season, the Dodgers trailed the first-place Houston Astros by three games with three to play. Incredibly, the Dodgers swept the Astros with three one-run victories. In the finale, Cey’s two-run homer off reliever Frank LaCorte in the bottom of the eighth cemented the sweep. 

That set up a one-game playoff at Dodger Stadium on October 6. Houston’s Joe Niekro won his 20th game with a complete-game, 7-1, while Cey missed the contest with an injured left ankle. The injury occurred when he fouled a pitch off his ankle in the season finale. “It’s disappointing and frustrating because I couldn’t play and because we lost,” Cey said.17

The 1981 season was interrupted by a players’ strike on June 12. The main issue was that team owners were seeking free agent compensation. A total of 712 games were cancelled before an agreement was reached on July 31. While on hiatus, Cey dipped his toe in the waters of Hollywood, making a cameo appearance in the movie Q: The Winged Serpent.

The season was split into two halves, with the different division winners meeting in a five-game series. The Dodgers (36-21) won the NL West first half by a half game over Cincinnati (35-21) while Houston prevailed in the second half. But Cey’s left forearm was drilled by a pitch from the Giants’ Tom Griffin on September 9. Cey angrily threw down his batting helmet and x-rays confirmed that he had a broken bone. He missed the rest of the regular season.18

Pedro Guerrero replaced Cey at third base against the Astros. Houston won the first two games at the Astrodome, but the Dodgers exacted revenge by winning three straight at Dodger Stadium to take the series.

Cey returned for the NLCS against the Montreal Expos. His forearm was fitted with a light plastic shield, allowing him to play. The Dodgers again won three out of five games to capture the franchise’s 17th pennant. Their World Series opponent was a familiar nemesis, the New York Yankees.

New York took the first two games at Yankee Stadium. In Game Three at Dodger Stadium, Cey’s three-run homer off Dave Righetti in the bottom of the first helped LA to victory. Cey added two more RBI in Game Four, an 8-7 win to even the series.

In the bottom of the eighth inning of Game Five, the Dodgers were clinging to a 2-1 lead when Cey stepped into the batter’s box to face Rich Gossage. , who uncorked a 94-mph fastball that struck Cey above the left ear of his batting helmet. Cey lay motionless, but conscious, at home plate. “What do I look like? Am I all right?”19 he asked the concerned faces looking down at him. Eventually, he made it to his feet and left the field under his own power.

After the Dodgers held on to seize the advantage, Cey returned for Game Six, going 2 for 3 with another RBI in the 9-2 victory. The win cinched the Dodgers’ first World Series championship since 1965. “I felt OK at the beginning, but then I got a little queasy,” said Cey, who was lifted for pinch hitter Derrel Thomas in the sixth inning. “I may have tried to do too much. I’m glad it’s over.”20 

Cey shared Most Valuable Player recognition, along with Steve Yeager and Guerrero. This was the first time in World Series history that the MVP award was shared by multiple players. He batted .350 with one home run and six RBIs, while Yeager and Guerrero each belted two homers.

The Dodgers broke up their venerable infield in 1982 by trading Lopes to Oakland. He was replaced by Steve Sax, who became the NL Rookie of the Year. While Cey hit 24 home runs, his RBI total dropped to 79 and he batted .254.

After trailing the Atlanta Braves by as many as 10 games in July, the Dodgers won seven straight in September 1982 to lead the NL West by 3 ½ games. Then the bottom fell out. They lost nine of their next 10. Entering the final weekend, the Dodgers and Giants each trailed the Braves by one game. While LA won two of three from the Giants to close the season, Atlanta held serve, taking two of three from San Diego to win the division.

On January 19, 1983, LA dealt Cey to the Chicago Cubs for two minor leaguers: pitcher Vance Lovelace and outfielder Dan Cataline.  “We think Ron Cey can definitely fill our need at third base,” said Cubs general manager Dallas Green. “He gives us power and we think he can do well at Wrigley Field.”21  Cey promptly signed a five-year deal with Chicago, reportedly worth about $850,000 per year.22

Cey joined a veteran infield with former teammate Bill Buckner at first base and Larry Bowa at shortstop. The second baseman was Ryne Sandberg, in his second year and starting the road to Cooperstown. Green was right in his assessment. In 1983, Cey led the club with 90 RBIs and tied Jody Davis for tops in home runs with 24.  However, the Cubs (71-91) finished fifth in the NL East.

To bolster their pitching staff in 1984, the Cubs acquired starting pitchers Scott Sanderson and Dennis Eckersley. But the real boost came on June 13 when they traded for Cleveland’s Rick Sutcliffe as part of a seven-player swap. The right-handed Sutcliffe was simply terrific, posting a 16-1 record for the Cubs, including the last 14 wins in a row.

Cey again led the team in home runs (25) and RBIs (97). The Cubs trailed the Mets by a half game at the end of July, but a 20-10 August catapulted them into first place, with a 5½ game lead. Chicago clinched and met another first-time division champion, the San Diego Padres, in the NLCS.

The Cubs won the first two games at Wrigley Field. However, the Padres were just as formidable in their home park, sweeping three straight. “The three games in San Diego, I didn’t make contact with the ball at all,” said Cey, who was 1 for 13 with an RBI. “I can’t use that as an excuse, because they played a lot better than they did in Chicago.

“I was disappointed, because we definitely had the best team. But you have to put aside the disappointment when you look back at last season and look at the positives.

“We won the first ever division title for the Cubs and we had the second-best record in baseball. We have gone from a real outsider to a team that for at least the immediate future, if not a favorite, a co-favorite in the division.”23

The Cubs floundered in 1985 and 1986, unable to repeat their success. They finished below .500  both years, causing the front office to explore dealing players. One of those was Cey. At 38, his power was diminishing, and his defensive abilities were slowing down. Outfielder Keith Moreland was inserted at third base. “It is an experiment. But I don’t think it serves me an advantage to say anything. Whatever happens at the end of the season, I’m sure we’ll talk,” said Cey.”24

“Cey is not the worst third baseman in the world,” said Chicago scout Charlie Fox. “On the average, routine play, you’re out. And of course, he’s still got that power and he still drives in runs.”25  

On January 30, 1987, the Cubs traded Cey to the Oakland Athletics for infielder Luis Quiñones. Used mostly as a designated hitter, Cey batted .221 in 45 games before he was released on July 15. Finding no interest from other teams, he retired.

In a career that spanned 17 years and 2,073 games, Cey batted .261 and slugged.445, with 316 home runs and 1,139 RBIs. As of 2025, his 228 home runs as a Dodger rank him fifth all-time in franchise history.26

In retirement, Cey focused on his family, engaging himself in Amanda and Daniel’s activities. He’s been an ambassador for the Dodgers, appearing at Dodger Stadium, greeting suite guests, and getting involved in charity events. He also supported many community and alumni initiatives.

Cey also appeared in a number of  TV shows, including Columbo, Murder She Wrote, Simon and Simon, ER, and Hardcastle and McCormick. In 2023, he wrote his memoir, Penguin Power: Dodger Blue, Hollywood Lights, and My One-in-a-Million Big League Journey with Ken Gurnick.

As of 2026, Cey and Fran resided in Woodland Hills, California, where he hosted the “We’ll See About That” podcast, sharing stories from his baseball career.

Last revised: January 11, 2026

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Malcolm Allen and David Bilmes and fact-checked by Dan Schoenholz.

Photo credits: Ron Cey, SABR-Rucker Archive.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-reference.com, Retrosheet.org and Ancestry.com.

Notes

1 Abby Mendelson, Ron Cey: Underrated still, but recognized at last. Baseball Quarterly, Fall 1977: 9.

2 “Cey Captures City Scoring Title,” Tacoma News Tribune, March 9, 1966:  C-9.

3 Roland Lund, “All-City Led by Stadium, Wilson,” Tacoma News Tribune, November 28, 1965: C-21.

4 “All City High School Baseball Stars Named,” Tacoma News Tribune,” June 5, 1966: B-21.  

5 “Why they call Cey ‘The Penguin’,” San Francisco Examiner, October 8, 1974: 46.

6 Mark Heisler, “Baseball Scouting: Often a Game of Mistakes!”, Baseball Digest, June 1981: 32.

7 Ross Newhan, “’Penguin’ Waddles but Bat, Glove Provide Dodger Spark,” Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1973: Section 3-1.

8 Mendelson, “Ron Cey: Underrated still, but recognized at last.”

9 “Ron Cey Repeats,” Spokesman Review, August 31, 1971: 16.  

10 “Wedding Announcements,” Chicago Tribune, October 4, 1971, Section 2-12.

11 Mendelson, “Ron Cey: Underrated still, but recognized at last.”

12 “Player of Week Laurels to Dodgers’ rookie Cey,” The Sporting News, June 2, 1973: 34.

13 Ross Newhan, “Alston Refused to Hit Panic Button on Sutton,” The Sporting News, August 3, 1974: 15.

14 Earl Lawson, “Reds’ Flag Chances Sinking Slowly in West,” The Sporting News, July 20, 1974: 13.

15 Gordon Verrell, “Quick-Slick Cey Brakes Dodger Revolving Door,” The Sporting News, June 7, 1975: 5.  

16 Gordon Verrell, “Cey’s Lumber Makes Big Thunder for Dodgers,” The Sporting News, May 14, 1977: 9.  

17 Mike Littwin, “Astros Win the First Prize: Two Days in Philadelphia,” Los Angeles Times, October 7, 1980: Section 3-4.

18 Mark Heisler, “Giants win, 6-3, in the 11th inning,” Los Angeles Times, September 10, 1981: Section 3-1.

19 Jeff Katz, Split Season 1981: Fernadomania, The Bronx Zoo, and the Strike That Saved Baseball (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2015). 269.

20 “Dodgers Rout Yankees, 9-2, to Take World Title,” Los Angeles Times, October 29, 1981: 1.

21 Jerome Holtzman, “Green and Cubs have their Cey,” Chicago Tribune, January 20, 1983: Section 3 -1.

22 Holtzman, “Green and Cubs have their Cey.”

23 Phil Hersh, “Ron Cey of Cubs Overlooked among Top Third Baseman,” Baseball Digest, May 1985: 49.  

24 Fred Mitchell, “Cubs set to shuffle the field,” Chicago Tribune, September 12, 1986: Section 4 -4.

25 Mitchell, “Cubs set to shuffle the field.”

26 ”All-time totals,” Los Angeles Dodgers, mlb.com, https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/stats/all-time-totals (last accessed November 11, 2025).