Books and articles about Ed Lopat

To frustrated hitters he was the Junk Man. Lopat turned his lack of a fastball into an advantage, keeping hitters off stride with an assortment of slow breaking pitches thrown with cunning and accuracy. Free-swinging teams like the Indians became easy victims; Lopat was 40-12 lifetime against Cleveland.

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After four seasons with the White Sox, Lopat was traded to his hometown Yankees in February 1948, and manager Casey Stengel pitched him between flamethrowers Allie Reynolds and Vic Raschi, the contrast making Lopat's slow stuff all the more unhittable. He averaged 16 wins a year in the World Championship seasons of 1949-53, won a career-high 21 games in 1951, and led the AL in ERA (2.42) and winning percentage (.800, 16-4) in 1953. In the 1951 WS, he pitched a pair of complete games, beating the Giants 3-1 in Game Two and 13-1 in Game Five. When his playing days were over, Lopat remained in baseball as a coach, manager, general manager, and scout. (MG)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 19, 1946: The oldest star to go into the military was the White Sox P Ted Lyons, who finished each of the 20 games he started in 1942. Lyons continues to pitch on the first five Sundays of the 1946 season. Although the 46-year-old former Marine has an ERA of 2.32, he loses three of his four starts including today's opener to Washington, 4–3. The Nats Johnny Niggeling beats Ed Lopat in the nitecap, 7–1, as Mickey Vernon cycles for the Nationals. » April 23, 1947: At Detroit, the Tigers use consecutive solo homers in the 8th from Roy Cullenbine, Dick Wakefield, and Hoot Evers to beat the White Sox, 7–4. Cullenbine adds an earlier homer and Eddie Lake adds a 5th Bengal blast to back Fred Hutchinson's win over Eddie Lopat. » May 17, 1947: The Yanks win a pair from the White Sox by 4–3 scores. Spec Shea wins the opener, collecting three hits a two runs scored. Joe DiMaggio's homer in the bottom of the 9th, off Maltzberger, is the winner. Bill Dickey has a pair of hits and a stolen base for the White Sox. In the nitecap, George McQuinn has three hits and scores the winning run in the 8th to break up the pitching duel between Spud Chandler and Chicago' Ed Lopat. » February 24, 1948: In a key trade for New York, Ed Lopat goes to the Yankees from the White Sox in exchange for C Aaron Robinson, Bill Wight, and Fred Bradley. Lopat will star for seven seasons in pinstripes, winning 21 in 1951 and going 16–4 in 1953. Robinson's main value to the Sox will come at the end of the season when he's swapped for another lefty pitcher, Billy Pierce. » July 17, 1948: Ed Lopat scatters 11 hits to beat the Browns, 4-0. It is the Yankee hurler's 2nd shutout in a row and his 3rd this year. » July 25, 1948: In the tight 4-team American League race, Joe DiMaggio leads the Yanks to a sweep over the White Sox, 5–3 and 7–3. Joe D is 3-for-3 in Game One to back Ed Lopat, then adds a triple and two doubles in the nitecap. His three RBIs in game two gives him an AL-high 86. » April 21, 1950: In Cleveland, before 79,570 fans, the 4th largest paid attendance to date, the Yankees take two from the Indians, winners of nine out of their last 11. In the opener, DiMaggio drives in six runs on two homers, one a grand slam, and the Yankees roll 14–5. New York collects 19 hits in the nitecap to win easily, 12–4. Eddie Lopat and Allie Reynolds each win their 4th of the year, as the Yankees now pace the AL by two 1/2 games. » May 25, 1950: The Athletics make some changes. Connie Mack's son, Earle Mack, who had been assistant manager, assumes the duties of chief scout. Earle, who had hoped to succeed his father as manager, is replaced by Jimmie Dykes. Mickey Cochrane is named general manager. It doesn't help today as the Yanks extend their winning streak to nine games by defeating the A's, 2–0, behind Ed Lopat and Joe Page. » June 21, 1950: Joe DiMaggio gets his 2,000th hit, a 7th-inning single off the Indians Chick Pieretti, as the Yanks win 8–2. DiMaggio joins Luke Appling and Wally Moses as the only active players with 2,000 or more hits. Eddie Lopat is the winning pitcher, running his record against Cleveland to 25–6. » July 19, 1950: Southpaw Ed Lopat of the Yanks wins 16–1 over the Browns, throwing a 2-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader. » July 23, 1950: Tigers P Saul Rogovin hits a 2nd inning grand slam off Yankees P Eddie Lopat as the first-place Bengals nip onrushing New York Yankees, 6–5. » September 23, 1950: The Yankees, tied for first place with the Tigers and two games ahead of Boston, open a crucial series with the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. DiMaggio's first inning HR off Mel Parnell is all the scoring needed, as the Bombers win 8–0. Ed Lopat gives up five hits, including a leadoff triple to Dom DiMaggio. » April 18, 1951: Southpaw Eddie Lopat of the Yankees 2-hits the Red Sox, winning 6–1. » May 4, 1951: In St. Louis, the Yanks pummel the Browns 8–1 behind Eddie Lopat. Mickey Mantle, again batting leadoff and playing RF, connects for his 2nd home run, off Duane Pillette, a 450-shot in the 6th inning. » July 1, 1951: Before 58,815 at Yankee Stadium, the Yanks top the Red Sox, 5–2, behind Eddie Lopat's 6-hitter. The win moves the Yankees ahead of the White Sox by four percentage points. Jerry Coleman homers off Mel Parnell, while Johnny Pesky connects for the Sox. Bobby Doerr singles for his 2,000th career hit. » September 8, 1951: At an Oldtimer's Day at Yankee Stadium, former manager Joe McCarthy is honored. With the game scoreless in the 7th inning, Mickey Mantle belts a Bob Porterfield pitch into the last row of the RF bleachers, some 460 feet away to break the scoreless tie. Ed Lopat shuts out the Senators for 4–0 Yankee win. » September 17, 1951: The Yanks break a 1–1 tie in the bottom of the 9th when, with the bases loaded, Rizzuto squeezes home DiMaggio with the winning run. The score, off Cleveland's Bob Lemon, gives Eddie Lopat his 20th win of the year. The Yanks now lead Cleveland by a game and Boston by two 1/2 games. » October 5, 1951: The Yanks and Eddie Lopat even up the World Series by winning 3–1 over Larry Jansen. Lopat scatters five hits, three by Monte Irvin. Irvin has now hit safely seven straight times in two games. Mickey Mantle is injured in the 5th inning when he steps on an exposed water sprinkler while chasing a Willie Mays fly ball. Mantle is taken off the field on a stretcher and the injury to his knee will plague him throughout his career. He will undergo the first of six knee operations. » October 9, 1951: Gil McDougald becomes the first rookie to hit a grand slam in the World Series, as the Yankees win in a romp, 13–1. Ed Lopat wins his 2nd game. » September 26, 1952: The Yanks clinch their 4th straight pennant, an 11-inning 5-2 win at Philadelphia behind Ed Lopat and Johnny Sain. » May 27, 1953: Eddie Lopat beats the Senators for the 8th straight time as he allows three hits in a 3–1 Yankee win. Joe Collins, Billy Martin, and Yogi Berra hit solo homers for New York. Mickey Vernon has a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to 20 games. The win starts the Yankees on an 18-game winning streak, the 3rd longest American League streak of the century. » June 18, 1953: Ed Lopat and Jim McDonald of the Yanks shut out the hapless St. Louis Browns 5-0 and 3­0 in both ends of a doubleheader. » May 26, 1954: The Senators defeat Yankee lefty Eddie Lopat for the first time in three years, 2–1. » July 30, 1955: The Orioles get P Ed Lopat from the Yankees for P Jim McDonald and cash. » June 11, 1964: Charlie Finley fires Ed Lopat (17-35) as manager of the A's, replacing him with Mel McGaha, former manager of the Cleveland Indians.