Al Lopez
Alfonso Ramon Lopez
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lb.
- High School Jesuit High School (Tampa)
- Debut September 27, 1928
- Final Game September 16, 1947
- Born August 20, 1908 in Tampa, FL USA
- Died October 30, 2005 in Tampa, FL USA
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1977
Biographical Information[edit]
Catcher and manager Al Lopez is a Hall of Famer who was twice an All-Star and held the record for most games caught with 1,918 until Bob Boone broke it in 1987. He also, as manager, took two teams to the World Series in the 1950s.
Lopez started as a catcher in 1928 with the Brooklyn Robins when 37-year-old Dazzy Vance was the pitching star with 22 wins, and was still catching in 1947 when 28-year-old Bob Feller won 20 games. He hit over .300 in 1930, in 1933, and much later in 1946. In 1930, he hit the last "bounce home run" in major league history. After that season, home runs which bounced on a hop into the stands would be considered ground-rule doubles.
As a player, he never appeared in a World Series.
Lopez got his start as a manager in 1948 with the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association. He led the club to a league title in his first year and was the team's skipper for three seasons.
As a big league manager, Lopez led the Cleveland Indians to the World Series in 1954 and the Chicago White Sox to the Series in 1959. His clubs finished second to the New York Yankees every other year of the 1950s, but his 1954 Cleveland Indians had the most wins of the decade with 111. As a manager, he had a .584 winning percentage.
Ironically, shortly before his death in 2005, the White Sox returned to the World Series for the first time since 1959, this time winning the Series in a sweep with Ozzie Guillen as their manager. They swept the Houston Astros. It was the White Sox' first World Championship since 1917, when Pants Rowland was the manager. Lopez was the last living player who had played a game in the 1920s and the oldest living Hall of Famer at the time of his death.
"Lopez knows how he wants things run and he runs them that way. He's at his best with a club that acts and plays as intelligent professionals should. Yeah." Bill Veeck.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 2-time NL All-Star (1934 & 1941)
- AL Pennants: 2 (1954 & 1959)
- 100 Wins Seasons as Manager: 1 (1954)
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1977
| Preceded by Lou Boudreau |
Cleveland Indians Manager 1951-1956 |
Succeeded by Kerby Farrell |
| Preceded by Marty Marion |
Chicago White Sox Manager 1957-1965 |
Succeeded by Eddie Stanky |
| Preceded by Les Moss |
Chicago White Sox Manager 1968-1969 |
Succeeded by Don Gutteridge |
Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Further Reading[edit]
- Wes Singletary: Al Lopez, the Life of Baseball's El Señor, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 1999.
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