Al Lopez
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Alfonso Ramon Lopez (born August 20, 1908 in Tampa, Florida, USA) was a Major League Baseball catcher and manager. Over the course of 15 full seasons as manager, he never had a losing record. At age 96, he is currently the oldest living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Lopez broke into the major leagues briefly in 1928 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and became their starting catcher in 1930. Over a career which ran until 1947, he played for the Dodgers (1928, 1930-1935), Boston Bees (1936-1940), Pittsburgh Pirates (1940-1946) and Cleveland Indians (1947). He compiled modest numbers, including 613 runs, 51 home runs, 652 RBI and a .261 batting average. His best season was in 1933, when he hit .301, stole 10 bases, and finished 10th in National League MVP voting.
Lopez largest contributions to the game of baseball began in 1951, when he became the manager of the Cleveland Indians, a position he would hold until 1956. In 1954, the Indians won a then American League record 111 games (since broken by the 1998 New York Yankees and 2001 Seattle Mariners). In every other season the Indians finished second to the New York Yankees.
Lopez moved on to manage the Chicago White Sox in 1957 and carried his success over to his new team. As White Sox manager until 1965, he never had a losing season. The White Sox won the American League pennant in 1959 and finished in second place five times, never posting fewer than 82 victories.
Lopez briefly returned to manage 47 games in 1968 for the White Sox and 17 games in 1969 then retired. He finished his managerial career with 1410 wins and 1004 losses, good for a .584 career winning percentage. His 1410 wins ranks 21st all-time among managers and his .584 winning percentage is among the best ever posted.
Lopez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.
External links
- Al Lopez's career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lopezal01.shtml)
- Baseball Hall of Fame Biography (http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/lopez_al.htm)
Categories: Baseball Hall of Fame | 1934 National League All-Stars | 1941 National League All-Stars | Brooklyn Dodgers players | Boston Bees players | Cleveland Indians players | Pittsburgh Pirates players | Chicago White Sox managers | Cleveland Indians managers | Major league catchers | Baseball managers | 1908 births | Tampa, Florida