| Héctor López | |
|---|---|
 López in 1955 | |
| Outfielder /Third baseman | |
| Born:(1929-07-08)July 8, 1929 Colón, Panama | |
| Died: September 29, 2022(2022-09-29) (aged 93) Hudson, Florida, U.S. | |
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 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Héctor Headley López Swainson (July 8, 1929 – September 29, 2022) was a Panamanian professionalbaseballleft fielder andthird baseman who played inMajor League Baseball for theKansas City Athletics andNew York Yankees from 1955 to 1966.[1] He won twoWorld Series with Yankees in 1961 and 1962. He later became the first blackmanager at theTriple-A baseball level.
López was the second Panamanian-born major league baseball player and continued to be one of the country's most revered world champion athletes. AlthoughHumberto 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 questionablefielder.[3] He was aninfielder for the Athletics, and later was often the third outfielder on theRoger Maris/Mickey Mantle Yankees of the early and mid-1960s. López had his most successful season in 1959, but continued to contribute effectively during the early 1960s during their pennant successes. The utility player divided his career almost equally betweeninfield and outfield positions. After retiring from baseball, he went on to become a groundbreaking manager inminor league baseball as the first to break thebaseball color line as a black manager at the Triple-A level for theBuffalo Bisons and then served in various international managerial andcoaching positions.
Born inColón, Panama, on July 8, 1929,[4] López grew up in Colón near thePanama Canal Zone. His father had been a baseballpitcher for thePanama national team. López held a part-time job at an Americanmilitary basebowling alley and was a high school track star. As a high school athlete, he playedsemi-professional baseball for US$100 per month in Colón. After he graduated from high school, he signed to play with theSt. Hyacinthe Saints of theClass-CProvincial League along withClifford "Connie" Johnson.[5]
Prior to the 1952 season, López was acquired by thePhiladelphia Athletics from theDrummondville Cubs of the Provincial League for $1,500 ($17,761 today).[1] In 1954, López won baseball'sTriple Crown in the Winter League.[6] Throughout his professional career, he played in the Panama winter league where he won three batting titles and regularly led the league in home runs.[7] López developed in the A's farm system, and when the team relocated to Kansas City in 1955 he was called up to the major league club. López made his major league debut in 1955.[1] That season he finished second toCarlos Paula among rookies inbatting average and was beaten out by American Leaguestrikeout-leading pitcherHerb Score for theRookie of the Year.[7] He usually playedsecond or third base during his time with the Athletics. During his rookie season, he finished third on the team in home runs, trailing onlyGus Zernial (30) andVic Power (19). He tiedJim Finigan for third on the team inruns batted in (RBIs) with 68, trailing only Zernial and Power, who had 84 and 76, respectively.[8] López was the team's regular third baseman, and was the youngest regular starter on the team. In 1956, the team finished with a 52–102 record, but López had a career-high 153 hits.[1] He also set then-career highs in home runs (18) and runs batted in (69).[9] In his early years, black and white players did not room together on the road, so he roomed withVic Power even though Power's closest friend on the team wasClete Boyer.[10] In 1957, he had a 22-gamehitting streak, which is the all-time Kansas City Athletics team record for the thirteen seasons the franchise played there.[11]
López finished in the top-10 in theAmerican League in both games played and at bats in the 1956 and 1958 seasons, and led the league insacrifice flies and timesgrounded into double plays in 1958. López also was in the top 10 in doubles and runs scored in 1958 and in sacrifice hits in 1956.[1] On June 26, 1958, López hit three home runs in a game against theWashington Senators.[12] During his career with the Athletics, he hit .278 with 67 home runs and 269 RBIs, and scored 298 runs. However, his talents were wasted on a team that never finished above sixth place. On May 26, 1959, he was traded withRalph Terry to theNew York Yankees forJohnny Kucks,Tom Sturdivant, andJerry Lumpe.[1] For all his offensive skills, López led American League third basemen in errors in each of his four full seasons in Kansas City.[13]
Baseball writer and Kansas City Athletics fanBill James wrote that López was as bad a defensive player as you would ever want to see.[14] The authors ofThe Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book declared López "the all-time worst fielding major league ballplayer".[15]
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 the1959 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 consecutivepennant winners.[16] During his time with the Yankees, he was often the third outfielder alongsideRoger Maris andMickey Mantle, known as theM&M Boys, as part of the Yankees that won two of the five consecutiveWorld Series they played in from 1960 to 1964. López is one of eleven Yankees to have been on these five consecutive pennant winners along withWhitey Ford,Elston Howard,Bobby Richardson, andClete 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 inslugging percentage, hits, doubles, and RBIs. In 1960 he was among the top 10 in triples and sacrifice hits.[1] During the1961 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 caughtVada 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]
In 1,450 games over 12 seasons, López posted a .269batting average (1,251-for-4,644) with 623runs, 193doubles, 37triples, 136home runs, 591 RBIs, 418bases on balls, .330on-base percentage, and .415slugging percentage. He finished his career with a collective .954fielding percentage playing primarily at left and right field and second and third base. In 15 World Series games, he hit .286 (8-for-28) with four runs scored, two doubles, one triple, one home run, seven RBIs, and two walks.[1]
In 1967, López played for theWashington Senators'Triple-APacific Coast League affiliateHawaii Islanders. The following season when theBuffalo Bisons of theInternational League became Washington's Triple-A affiliate, López joined the Bisons as a player.[22] He then became their manager in 1969. This made him the first black manager at theTriple-A level. This was six years beforeFrank Robinson became the first black manager in the major leagues.[23] López was one of three black men (along withSam Bankhead andGene Baker) to manage in theminor leagues in the twenty-five years afterJackie Robinson broke thecolor barrier in 1947.[24] In 1990, he coached the baseball team for Malverne High School inMalverne, New York, inNassau County onLong Island in addition to working in the parks department in the Town ofHempstead. López also managed inVenezuela and been a player-manager in Panama.[23]
In 1994 and 1995, López managed theGulf Coast League Yankees, the rookie-league team.[22] López managed thePanama national baseball team in the2009 World Baseball Classic.[25]
After his retirement, López participated in YankeesOld Timers Day for around 50 years.[26][27] López and his wife, Claudette Joyce (née Brown), married in 1960.[3] They had two sons.[23] López died on September 29, 2022, inHudson, Florida, from complications of lung cancer. He was 93.[3]
Hector Lopez attended his 53rd consecutive Old-Timers' Day.
