Héctor López
Héctor López | |
---|---|
Outfielder / Third baseman | |
Born: Colón, Panama | July 8, 1929|
Died: September 29, 2022 Hudson, Florida, U.S. | (aged 93)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 12, 1955, for the Kansas City Athletics | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 30, 1966, for the New York Yankees | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .269 |
Home runs | 136 |
Runs batted in | 591 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Héctor Headley López Swainson (July 8, 1929 – September 29, 2022) was a Panamanian
López was the second Panamanian-born major league baseball player and continued to be one of the country's most revered world champion athletes. Although Humberto Robinson debuted in the major leagues 22 days earlier than López, López was the first major leaguer born in Panama to have an extensive career.[2]
Lopez was a reliable hitter but a questionable
Early life
Born in
Kansas City Athletics (1955–1959)
Prior to the 1952 season, López was acquired by the
López finished in the top-10 in the
Baseball writer and Kansas City Athletics fan Bill James wrote that López was as bad a defensive player as you would ever want to see.[14] The authors of The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book declared López "the all-time worst fielding major league ballplayer".[15]
New York Yankees (1959–1966)
In his first season with the Yankees after being traded, he played 35 games in the outfield, the first time in his career he played more than 20 outfield games. He still played 76 games at third base for the team. In his 33 games with Kansas City at the start of the 1959 Major League Baseball season, he had played exclusively at second base.[1] In his next five seasons with the Yankees from 1960 to 1964, he mostly played in the outfield as he was part of five consecutive pennant winners.[16] During his time with the Yankees, he was often the third outfielder alongside Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, known as the M&M Boys, as part of the Yankees that won two of the five consecutive World Series they played in from 1960 to 1964. López is one of eleven Yankees to have been on these five consecutive pennant winners along with Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, Bobby Richardson, and Clete Boyer and is one of seven Yankees to have been part of the entire Maris/Mantle Yankee era. In 1965 and 1966, he made the majority of his outfield appearances in right field. However, in 1965 Mantle did not play center field.[17] Mantle did return to center field for the majority of his appearances in 1966 (the final year of the Maris/Mantle Yankees and the final year of López' career).[18]
In 1959, he finished in the top 10 in slugging percentage, hits, doubles, and RBIs. In 1960 he was among the top 10 in triples and sacrifice hits.[1] During the 1961 World Series, López replaced Mantle (who only had six Series at bats)[19] in Game 4 and recorded a 2-run single on the way to a 7–0 victory. In Game 5, which was the Series-clinching game, he homered and tripled, driving in five runs, and caught Vada Pinson's fly ball for the final out of the Series.[20] His three for nine, 7 run batted in performance continues to be remembered by New Yorkers as a highlight of the series.[13][21]
Career statistics
In 1,450 games over 12 seasons, López posted a .269
Managing career
In 1967, López played for the
In 1994 and 1995, López managed the
Personal life
After his retirement, López participated in Yankees
See also
- List of players from Panama in Major League Baseball
Sources
- Moffi, Larry; Jonathan Kronstadt (1994). Crossing the Line: Black Major Leaguers, 1947–1959. University of Iowa Press. pp. 136–138. ISBN 9780877455295.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Héctor López Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
- ^ "Players Born in Panama". baseball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
- ^ a b c Weber, Bruce (September 30, 2022). "Hector Lopez, Who Broke a Baseball Color Barrier, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ "Hector Lopez Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ Moffi and Kronstadt, pp. 136–7.
- ISBN 0-313-32268-6.
- ^ a b Moffi and Kronstadt, p. 137.
- ^ "1955 Kansas City Athletics Statistics and Roster". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
- ^ "1956 Kansas City Athletics Statistics and Roster". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
- ISBN 1-57912-259-0.
- ^ Kuenster, John (September 2002). "Long hitting streaks still a big challenge in the major leagues – Warm Up Tosses – Statistical Data Included". Baseball Digest. CNET Networks, Inc. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
- ^ "Municipal Stadium (Thursday, June 26, 1958)". baseball-reference.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
- ^ ISBN 0-313-32268-6.
- ISBN 9781439106938.
- Ticknor & Fields. Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ "Player Profiles: Hector Lopez". BaseballLibrary.com. The Idea Logical Company, Inc. Archived from the original on September 14, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
- ^ "1965 New York Yankees". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
- ^ "1966 New York Yankees". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
- ^ "1961 World Series". Baseball Almanac. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
- ^ "New York Yankees 13, Cincinnati Reds 5". retrosheet.org. October 9, 1961. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
- New York Times. Archivedfrom the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
- ^ a b "Héctor López". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ New York Times. Archivedfrom the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
- ISBN 0-7624-1487-1.
- ^ "2009 World Baseball Classic Rosters". ESPN. February 24, 2009. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ Stevens, Bill (October 6, 2012). "Yankees legend Hector Lopez is baseball magic for this big kid". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ Herrmann, Mark (June 23, 2019). "Mariano Rivera basks in glory of his first Yankees Old-Timers' Day, stealing show with inside-the-park homer". Newsday. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
Hector Lopez attended his 53rd consecutive Old-Timers' Day.
Further reading
- Sargent, Jim. "Hector Lopez". SABR. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet