Books and articles about Al Lopez

The 5'1" 165-lb Lopez had a long and distinguished career as a catcher and manager and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1977.

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RELATED LINKS » 1959: Team Scores 11 Runs in One Inning on One Hit Photos » Photo: Lopez Tags Cuyler, 1935 from Baseball Between the Wars Book Excerpts » Breaking the Slump: Baseball in the Depression Era by Charles C. Alexander Greatest Teams » 1954 Indians Around the Web » Around the majors: Al Lopez, a Hall of Fame catcher and manager, dies from startribune.com » Obituary: Al Lopez / Hall-of-famer who led Chicago, Cleveland to pennants from post-gazette.com » Hall of Famer Al Lopez dies from sunspot.net » Manager of '59 Sox, Hall of Famer, dies from suntimes.com » Al Lopez, who led Sox to '59 Series, dies from suntimes.com » Ex-Sox manager Lopez passes away from chicagosports.com » Al Lopez from historicbaseball.com » Al Lopez from baseball-reference.com » Albie Lopez from baseball-reference.com » Al Lopez, a Hall of Fame Manager, Is Dead at 97 from nytimes.com (10/31/05) » Al Lopez from thebaseballpage.com » Lopez knows days as Ray may be short from sptimes.com (07/18/01) » Lopez knows life as Ray may be ending from sptimes.com (07/02/01) » Lopez hopes health heals mound woes from sptimes.com (06/05/01) » Lopez feels better, but Rays in no hurry from sptimes.com (05/12/01) » With off-day, Lopez will start Friday's opener at Orioles from sptimes.com (04/12/01) » Lopez sore, but okay for Sunday from sptimes.com (04/05/01) » Rothschild presents Lopez with start on opening day from sptimes.com (03/26/01) » Lopez relieved about brother's sentence from sptimes.com (03/18/01) » Lopez is ready for stress-free spring training from sptimes.com (02/19/01) » Lopez, Rays split the difference from sptimes.com (02/08/01) Jump directly to Library content from any website!

Not much of an offensive threat, Lopez hit higher than .275 only three times in his 19-year career. His career high in home runs was eight (1936 and 1939) and in RBI was 57 (1930). His great value was as an extremely durable receiver. For many years he held the record for most games caught in the major leagues (1,918) and the NL (1,861), and for most years in the NL catching 100 or more games (12). These endurance marks were somewhat inflated by the fact that he was largely a defensive replacement the last two and a half seasons of his career. He tied the record for most games caught in the NL without a passed ball (114 games in 1941) and led NL catchers in assists three times (1932-33, 1936) and fielding average three times (1940, 1943-44).

Lopez also left his mark as a manager. He led the Indians from 1951 to 1956 and the White Sox from 1957 to 1965 and 1968 to 1969. He was the only AL manager to finish ahead of the Yankees in the 1950s, winning pennants with the Indians in 1954 and the White Sox in 1959. He finished second every other year that decade, and nine times overall. His record as a manager was 1,422-1,026, with a .581 winning percentage that is ninth on the all-time list.

In a poll taken among retired major leaguers in the mid-1980s, Lopez was rated the seventh-best defensive catcher as well as the seventh-best manager of all time. (JJM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 12, 1930: With 40,000 fans on hand at Wrigley Field, Dazzy Vance gives up 14 hits and walks four but strands 16 Cubs runners. With the game tied, 2–2, in the 11th Riggs Stephenson bounces a single to drive in the winning run. Brooklyn loads the bases in both the 9th and 10th but comes up dry; in the 8th Brooklyn adds up a triple by Babe Herman, a walk to Dale Bissonette, and an Al Lopez single for zero runs. » September 12, 1930: Brooklyn C Al Lopez drives one over the head of Cincinnati LF Bob Meusel, and the ball bounces into the bleachers at Ebbets Field. It will be the ML's last recorded bounce HR, as the NL rules after the season that such a hit will henceforth be a double. The AL had made the change after the 1929 season. » December 21, 1935: The Dodgers trade Ray Benge, Tony Cuccinello, Al Lopez, and Bobby Reis to the Braves for P Ed Brandt and OF Randy Moore. » July 16, 1936: Braves C Al Lopez reaches first three times on errors, the 3rd player to do so. It is little help though as the Cubs edge the Braves, 1–0, in 10 innings. Lon Warneke is the winner over hard luck Ben Cantwell. » July 22, 1939: A Boston Bees fan, outraged when Al Lopez drops a pop foul, his second and the team's seventh of the game, jumps from the stands to punch the Boston catcher. » June 14, 1940: In the Bees 4–2 win over the Cubs, Boston 1B Buddy Hassett fouls out in the 8th inning after hitting safely in 10 straight at bats over three games. He walked once in the streak. Before the game, Boston sends C Al Lopez to Pittsburgh for C Paul Burris and cash. » December 7, 1946: The Indians send young OF Gene Woodling to Pittsburgh for veteran receiver Al Lopez. Lopez will play just 61 games in 1947, before taking over as manager of Indianapolis for three seasons. He will return to skipper the Indians in 1951. » November 10, 1950: After nine years at the helm, the Indians fire their manager, Lou Boudreau, amid the howls of fan protest. Although Boudreau's overall winning percentage is a moderate .529, he won 92 games in a 4th-place finish, his best showing since 97 in the championship year of 1948. Al Lopez, who has piloted Minneapolis (AA) since 1948, takes over with a 2-year contract. » September 30, 1956: Al Lopez, manager of the Indians since l951, resigns and is replaced by Kirby Farrell. Lopez, who won 470 while losing 354 for a .570 percentage, had one pennant and five 2nd-place finishes in his 6 years at the helm. » December 3, 1957: Al Lopez, who traded Larry Doby when he was managing, Cleveland, does it again in Chicago. The Orioles swap P Ray Moore, Billy Goodman, and OF Tito Francona to the White Sox for Doby, pitchers Jack Harshman and Russ Heman, and infielder Jim Marshall. » August 28, 1960: In a battle of New York's chief rivals for the American League pennant, Baltimore's Milt Pappas has Chicago down 3–0 in the 8th. An apparent 3-run home run by Ted Kluszewski is nullified because umpire Ed Hurley calls time just before Pappas delivers. Hurley spotted Floyd Robinson and Earl Torgeson warming up along the RF sideline. The Sox argue for 15 minutes, with Nellie Fox and Al Lopez being tossed, before Klu hits again and lines out. The O's prevail 3–1 and take over 2nd place, two games behind the Yankees, and the Sox are three 1/2 back. » November 4, 1965: Al Lopez resigns as manager of the White Sox. » July 12, 1968: Eddie Stanky is fired as manager of the White Sox and replaced by Al Lopez. » July 23, 1968: Al Lopez undergoes an emergency appendectomy. Les Moss will serve as White Sox manager during his 36-game absence. » May 2, 1969: Al Lopez (840-650) resigns as White Sox manager for health reasons. Don Gutteridge takes over. The Sox will lose tomorrow, 3–1, to the Twins in Gutteridge's first game as skipper. » January 31, 1977: The Special Veterans Committee selects Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, and Al Lopez for the Hall of Fame. » September 16, 1987: In a 6–4 win, California's Bob Boone catches his 1,919th ML game to break the record held by Hall of Famer Al Lopez. » June 19, 1990: Gary Carter catches his 1,862nd career game to break Al Lopez's National League mark. He goes 0-for-3 in the Giants' 4–3 loss to San Diego. Batting for Ed Vosberg in the bottom of the 5th, Giants Don Robinson becomes the first pitcher to hit a pinch home run since 1971. San Diego's Bruce Hurst serves up the gopher. His job done, Robinson does not pitch.